Succeedinginbusiness.com BLOG

Sources of power in a downturn

2008-07-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

A match made in heaven

Imagine matching what you do best and most easily with what your target market and current clients want most. This is the essence of defining an ideal client and using Margin Boost techniques to drive your pricing.

Spray and pray? Or rifle shot?

If you know yourself, and if you know who you want to work with, you can connect with the precision of a marksman using a rifle for target practice. By contrast, believe it or not, many people try, with a shotgun, to shoot at anything that moves. If you want a dinner on the table that you’ll enjoy eating, use the rifle.

My strengths: a real life example

Knowing my strengths (what I can easily deliver) and the things about those strengths that my target market value (their “pain” points, rather than what they need) has been incredibly important to my work life and satisfaction.

According to the test at http://www.strengthsfinder.com/ (see below), my top five strengths are these traits:

I’m an activator (I get people into action.)
I’m a relator (I tend to take steps to deepen my relationships.)
I individualize (I am intrigued by the characteristics of the people I interact with, and I treat them like the unique individuals they are.)
I command (I am a leader, and I enjoy helping others get where they want to go.)
I am futuristic (I love to, and am good at, looking beyond the horizon.)

I first discovered this set of strengths and more, through the http://www.pinnaclegroupusa.com/index.html survey, and it helped me get clear on a number of important career direction adjustments. They were further confirmed by the test at www.strengthsfinder.com.

My consulting clients value me (pay me) for my ability to:

Help them see a new future in which they can deliver what they do best, for the greatest value, to their ideal clients (command and futuristic).

They want to rely on me to guide them and their organizations to new futures, and therefore they want a trusting relationship with me (relator and Individualize).

They want me to get them into action and keep them in action toward their new futures, and to hold them accountable for the things they commit to doing along that path (activator).

Here is the win-win

My ideal clients love my strengths and get a great deal of value for their businesses by using those strengths and enjoying dramatic jumps in profit. My strengths come naturally to me and are fun for me to further develop and refine. This is a real win-win.

Gradual transition

The idea is to gradually change from working with anyone who will say yes (the shotgun approach; also known as “spray-n-pray”), to targeting the ideal client (the rifle approach). Trying to make this transition overnight could lead to economic suicide. But a gradual transition over six to 12 months, can bring great joy, confidence, satisfaction, and a dramatic improvement in profits.

I am still in the process

Like you, I still do some shotgun work. But, every day, I move a little closer to the rifle approach. Here’s how: At every step with prospects, I learn a little more about them. I then take the knowledge I’ve gained through this learning process and incorporate it into my elevator speeches. As I do this, the speeches more accurately describe my ideal clients and what I do for them. It becomes clearer to them, and they are more likely to supply me with information that’s valuable to me. If, at the end of this process they say, “Tell me more,” I’m pretty sure I’m talking to an ideal client. Then, we can make real progress together.

Don’t know how you’ll get there?

Many people today struggle away with a shotgun to get enough sales. The funny thing is that beginning to define and make the transition to your ideal client normally helps you make more sales, more easily. McDonald’s is clear that they sell burgers, while Ruths Chris is clear that they sell high-end steak. Neither would fare well trying to sell it all. Neither will you.

Makes sense, but how do I know?

The problem is often simply knowing what one’s strengths are. My mother, my spouse, my friends, and my old school teachers certainly had their perspectives, but did they really know?

Opinions of others are often not enough

I wish I could rely only on the opinions of those I love and like, but I sought confirmation from at least three other sources. Here is my take on a good, better, and best example of the options for learning more about yourself.

Disclaimer on the options below: I have no financial interest in the “good” or “best” options. I will receive a small commission from www.amazon.com, but it will not affect your cost.

Best option

It’s simple to use, it’s very powerful. It will give you a written report and a personal phone interpretation, plus the opportunity for questions and answers.
http://www.pinnaclegroupusa.com/index.html

For an independent perspective go here:http://www.allbusiness.com/construction/construction-buildings-residential-building/223143-1.html

Better option: StrengthsFinder 2.0 (book)

It’s simple, fast, inexpensive and easy. The book is a huge value at just $12. They identify your top five strengths (out of a total of 35), but for most, this is all that’s needed. Additional data is available for about $500, and coaching is also available (for much more).

To review the book, go here.

Or go to the StrengthsFinder Web site. (Note: To reach the main Web pages, you’ll need a password. Each book purchase includes a single-use password.)

Good option

Very informative
http://www.discprofile.com/

Lots of goodies here, but this approach requires a fair amount of work and interpretation on your part. The test is $19.

To your success,

Twenty years - or two hours - to better sales results? You choose.

2008-06-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Part I

The trick in sales

Sales can be a tough business, even when you are doing everything just right. The trouble is dealing with all those darn human beings. They do what they want to do, and not what you want them to do. No news there. The real trick is to just work with the ones who are seriously inclined to go your direction, clear to the end. But how?

The secret of “how” requires that you…

So now for that elusive how: In my quest to bring you, my cherished reader, the best real information available to help you sell more while working less, I am going to share a major secret with you today. I’ll also give you an example of that secret in action. Read on.

90 percent close rate this year. Really!

I have been developing my sales approach over the last 30+ years. This year, I have closed 90 percent of the proposals that I have written, and I have wasted almost zero time with tire-kickers. So how did I get there?

Twenty years — or two hours? You choose.

About 10 years ago, I stumbled on the book, High Probability Selling, and Jacques (sounds exactly like Jack) Werth. As I read the book and listened to the cassette tape, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Jacques had collected, refined and expanded upon, my emerging notion of how selling really worked. Reading his book, listening to the cassette, and taking his class rocketed my sales results. Jacques had given me more in just hours than 20 years in the school of hard knocks had given me.

I can do that

Even though I had been getting ready to absorb this material for 20 years, it made my jaw drop. At first, I heard myself say, “I can’t do that.” But then I did do it. Exactly what Jacques suggested. Wow, what a difference! I would never have guessed just how well all this would really work.

How can it be that simple?

Initially, most people will find this approach to be more than a little shocking, because it goes against most of the conventional selling wisdom. People tend to feel this way until they start to use the approach and find out just how well it works, and how powerful it makes the seller feel. Then they say to themselves, “Gee, I had no idea it could really be this simple.”

If you really have it nailed now, stop reading

If you are happy with the sales results you’re getting now, you can stop reading right here. But, if you want to take it up to the next level, in results and confidence, read on.

Why I have waited to share this

Jacques sends out a newsletter every so often and has done so for years. I like what he writes, but, until recently, I hadn’t seen an issue that would give you such a clear picture of how different his sales really process is.

I thought this issue captured the essence

Then, last week, I received the newsletter that I have included, below. I felt that it encapsulated the essence of Jacques' High Probability Selling process: More sales with less work and more self-respect. I’ll shut up and let you be the judge. This approach has made me a great deal of money, improved my closing ratio, and helped me never (well, almost never) sound like a salesperson.

Action step

If you are willing, read the newsletter below, and then link to the site. What I recommend is that you buy and listen to the book on CD, and then take the outstanding course. Jacques’ training course is life-changing. I don’t say that lightly. There is nothing like it under the sun, in my experience.

Here is the newsletter I speak so highly of:

Part II

By Jacques Werth

Word Count: 716
Minutes to Read: Approx. 5

We were in a large meeting room in a nice hotel, in a suburb of Seattle. Twelve successful Realtors were attending a Real Estate Sales Mastery workshop. They were an unusually well-dressed group for a two-day offsite workshop.

At our request, one of the participants had borrowed a sample front door and door frame from a builder. It was in the front of the meeting room and it was braced to stand on its own. The outside of the door was to the right, and to the left of the inside of the door we had a kitchen table and some chairs. Those were the props that we needed to begin the first exercise.
One of the workshop participants was asked to role-play how she approaches a visit to a homeowner who wants to sell his house. The instructor played the part of the home owner.
The first Realtor walked up to the outside of the door and knocked. The instructor opened the door and said "Hello."

The Realtor flashed a big smile, held out her hand and said, very cordially, "Mr. Smith, it is so good to meet you. I am Pam Jackson with XYZ Real Estate. How are you today?"
The instructor invited her in and offered her a chair in the "kitchen."

"Your home is very lovely. I really like what you did with the kitchen," said Pam with delight, while looking all around.

The instructor stopped the role-play at that point and thanked Pam. He asked her to switch roles. She would now play the homeowner and the next participant would play the Realtor. He was even more effusive than Pam. Each successive Realtor tried to out-do those what went before them in their attempts to impress the "prospect" with their enthusiasm, charm and likeability.

During those role-plays, the other Realtors watched intently and remained very quiet. Several preened their clothing and hair before it was their turn.

For the second part of the role-play the instructor played the part of the Realtor, with Pam playing the homeowner. The instructor knocked on the door, and the Pam opened it. "Yes?' she said.

"I'm Joe Instructor with HPS Realty. Are you Pam Jackson?

"Yes, I am," she said, reaching to shake his hand. "Come in. I suppose you want to look over the house."

"Before we do that, we need to get to know each other and determine whether we have a mutually acceptable basis for doing business."

Homeowner: "Okay, we can sit in the kitchen, here."

Realtor: "When we spoke on the phone we agreed this meeting would take about ninety minutes of uninterrupted time. Have you arranged for that?"

Homeowner: "Yes, I turned off my phone and put the dog out in the back yard."

Realtor: "We agreed that the purpose of our meeting is to determine whether we have a mutually acceptable basis for selling your home. Is that your intention?"

Homeowner: "Yes."

Realtor: "And, we agreed that if we can meet your conditions of satisfaction for the sale of your home, we will make a decision about that today. Is that still your intention?"

Homeowner: "Yes, it is."

The instructor thanked Pam and asked her to rejoin the rest of the group. Then, he asked the entire group "What did you notice about the way I just approached Pam, the prospect?"

They called out their answers:

"You were very straight-forward," "You were dignified," You were very relaxed," "You were authentic," "You were not acting," "You were in control," "You asked for and got commitments," Pam then capped it off with, "I felt privileged to be your prospect, I felt respected, and I felt respect for you."

Then, the instructor explained exactly what he did, why, and how he did it, and asked all of the participants to replay both roles - doing it that way.

At the end of that exercise, they were offered a choice; continue to sell by out-charming, out-smiling, out-dressing, out-dancing and out-impressing their competition, or learn how to sell on a basis of mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual commitments. They all chose the latter.

What if the choice was yours?

What do you want to do?

To find out more about this extraordinary selling approach, you can go to High Probability Selling, or cut and paste this url: http://tinyurl.com/5qpzjf

To your success,
Eric

Hawaii Vacation

2008-06-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

Announcement

A book version of Opening Doors with a Brilliant Elevator Speech, by Eric Albertson, is now available on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/3lynpb

I love my kids but a break from them was nice

I just got back from vacation on the island of Kauai, HI. This was the first without children in the 15 years since my oldest son was born. We were gone seven nights, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Caroline’s parents watched our boys, Alexander (15), and Zachary (9).

The girl of my dreams

Uninterrupted time with the love of your life is a wonderful thing. Caroline works hard to make it possible for me to work hard for all of you and my clients. The vast majority of the good things in my life are truly a team effort.

The good things in life

Everything I talk about in my newsletters is simply a way to help you get, and keep, the life you want. If you put those things into action, you can have practically anything you want. You just can’t have everything (last time I looked). Kauai is one of those really good things in my life.

A chance meeting in the Allerton Gardens

While visiting the Allerton Gardens (the highlight of our trip), we met a retired military officer who was having a spectacularly successful second career in real estate. He told us he was having his best year, ever, in 2008.

You could have pushed me over with a feather

I asked him what his secret was. He said that he had a great “elevator pitch.” With glee he told me that, since he had mastered the skill of creating elevator pitches (I call them elevator speeches), he could find qualified prospects and engage them as needed. It was clear from the look on his face that he felt like he was giving me a huge gift.

Is eighty the new fifty? This fellow was nearly 80 years old and had been retired since the end of the Vietnam war. He told me that he owned three different vacation homes, and he attributed his great health, wealth, and happiness to his ability to sell and make people happy.

People like this guy are my inspiration

To say the least, I was better off for meeting this remarkable man and his beautiful wife. He reminded me of why I write this newsletter, and why I wrote the 2nd edition of Opening Doors with A Brilliant Elevator Speech.

Worth $1,000+ in 1976 dollars

When I told this fellow I had a book out about this, and described it to him, he said that he would have killed for such a guide during his dark years of trying to figure it out on his own. When I told him that it was $49, he told me that I should charge $1,000 for it, and that it would be cheap at that.

Now available as a regular printed book

We now have a printed version of the book available at: http://www.createspace.com/3341942 or http://tinyurl.com/3lynpb. The price is still just $49, but the value, if you put it into action, is literally beyond words.You can also get the electronic version instantly here: http://www.succeedinginbusiness.com/marketing-doors.html also just $49

Just a couple of hours away

This is, according to what we have been told, the best selling (over 15,000 copies of both versions have been sold) elevator speech book in the world, simply because anyone who can follow directions, can read the 42 pages, and can create a very good elevator speech within an hour or two. With a little more effort, say one or two more hours, you can have an elevator speech that can make you more money every month that you use it.

What is a single elevator speech worth in incremental sales?

I paid for this vacation with one use of an elevator speech. It took seven seconds to say, but it will yield enough to pay for a vacation every year for 10 years. A great elevator speech is really that powerful. You just have to be willing to buy the book, and invest some time in trial and error. Most people waste most of their time and money. Don’t let that be you.

One of my elevator speeches

When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them that “I help people get others to say the three most magical words in the English language, for a sales person to hear: “Tell me more.”

Skin in the game of your life

I don’t need another $49. What I want is for you to have just a little skin in the game so that you will take the time to read the book’s 42 pages, and block off an hour or two to build and refine you first elevator speech. With each refinement, you will make more money, have more financial security and, hopefully, have more of the life you and yours want.

To your success and life,

Eric

Why they buy

2008-06-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

Your customer’s aren’t buying the way they used to

In their current situation, they might not be seeing the benefits they need to see to keep buying — or to keep buying from you.

Your choice

You can take action, or you can wait and see what happens. I tend to ask about, and confirm, my value with my clients, early and often. They like it and it helps me keep my customers. (Remember: The two most important measures in business are: 1.) What does it cost to get a customer, and 2.) What is the lifetime value of that customer?)

A true story

Ron’s profit and volume kept sliding each year. He was over 60, and retirement kept looking further and further away. I suggested he ask long-time clients these questions:

What did they like about what he did?
What did they want more of?
What things did they want from him that he wasn’t offering now?

He asked, he listened, and he acted. His profits tripled the next year.

Long ago, but still true

Congressman Barrett Pettengill (1866-1974) said, “The successful producer of an article sells it for more than it costs him to make, and that’s his profit. But the customer buys it only because it’s worth more to her than she pays for it, and that’s her profit. No one can long make a profit producing anything unless the customer makes a profit using it.”

Have you checked lately?

Consider checking your value proposition with your clients at least quarterly. I often check and confirm monthly. Done correctly, and with a bit of grace, it is truly a benefit for both me and them.

The raw basics of what a person wants in a purchase

People seek a particular combination of price, quality and service from you. In my experience, all differentiation falls into one of these three categories.

Forces that influence

Schlomo Maital, in his book, Executive Economics, has suggested that there are 13 forces that influence what people buy. I’ll just share 9 of the 13, here:
Aptness; particularly well-suited to the purpose or occasion; appropriate
Bandwagons & bubbles (everyone else seems to be buying it, using it, wanting it)

Cost or price is right
Greed
Habit
Income
Jazz, excitement
Advances desired knowledge
Loyalty

What does that make possible?

This is the million-dollar question. We don’t necessarily care about the product or service, but what the product or service makes possible.

Why me?

Sooner or later, I ask, “If I wasn’t around, where else, or who else, would you get this service from”?

Scary question. The answers are powerful, and are often the lights that guide you in keeping and expanding your business with a customer.

Do you build your foundation on sand or rock?

Valuable and long-term customer relationships, in my opinion, start on a foundation of rock. By rock, I mean a foundation on which the benefit is clear to both parties. That clarity starts with a powerful elevator speech.

Assumptions kill

If you don’t get clarity about the benefits from the start, you are at risk of creating disappointment for your customer every day. You are also at risk of having your customer not understand your real differentiation (your primary value).

The tar pit

If your initial message to prospects is vague (“I’m a doctor,” “I sell copiers,” “I sell computers,” “I’m a printer,” I’m a manufacturers rep,” “I sell life insurance,” I’m a financial planner,” and so on) you won’t start with a clear benefit. Instead, you’ll be perceived however that person decides to perceive you, based on his initial “take” on your description. (On the other hand, if you are specific, in your elevator speech, about what your value is, prospects will often ask if you could help them with a problem that is a little different, but related to, what you described.)

Where else can you get ten times your money back?

Most people report to me that getting their elevator speech right with our book, How to Open Doors with a Brilliant Elevator Speech, has earned them at least 10 times what they paid for it, within 30 days. Some have said it was closer to 100.

Action step

No matter how you do it, get your value proposition clear, and build your next customer relationship on a foundation of rock, instead of on sand. Start writing and testing your elevator speech today, so you can prosper tomorrow.

Cheers,

A major key to success

2008-06-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here’s a quick challenge for you

Name this personal attribute: You’ll find it at the core of many a success story, modern or otherwise.

Everybody’s figuring it out

In interviews this year, people as diverse as Sean “Puffy” Combs and Robert Kiyosaki, have named this attribute as the main reason for their long-term success.

It’s a big void when things begin falling apart

When people stop being successful, not doing this is really at the heart of the problem, in many cases.

Nobody is perfect in this way, but that’s ok

In the quest for this attribute, perfection is not required, but the intent to improve is.
What’s the answer?

I’m talking about keeping your word. Nothing, in my opinion, is more powerful than keeping your word, if success in life is what you desire.

So why is it important

Thirty years of research shows that others (that includes people who might buy what you are selling) don’t buy at all, or for long, if they think you don’t or won’t keep your word.

That’s a big deal.

Keeping your word can be tough

If you don’t know the mechanics, keeping your word (which I define as doing what you say you will do, when you say you will do it), in my experience, is very hard to do. Given the frequency with which things change, and the speed with which priorities adjust, it’s sometimes impossible. You can make a promise most sincerely today, but tomorrow, circumstances might prevent you from keeping it. You have to be very careful about making promises. You have to know the mechanics.

Life often won’t let you keep your word

When another person makes a request of you, you have a choice of how
Decline
Accept
Counter

Promise to promise at a later date

Really being able to keep your word requires deliberation

The mechanics of keeping your word include deliberate thought. Don’t assume you have to say yes to everything, right now. Take the time to consider it, to reach clarity. To know what you’re promising. Consider making another kind of commitment, instead.

Make a promise to promise

Making a promise to promise is just a way of saying, “When I get more information, I’ll make a decision about making a commitment.” You make keeping your word almost impossible when you commit to things without enough information and consideration.

I can’t do it on Wednesday, but I can on Thursday

The king of tactics for keeping your word is the counter: I can’t do what you requested, but I can give you this alternative.

Sometimes going the extra mile doesn’t work, either

It’s a huge surprise to some that doing more than they were asked is not the same as keeping your word. In fact, it’s often perceived to be just as bad as not going the full distance. When the recipe calls for a cup of sugar, tossing in a cup-and-a-half is wasteful — and it doesn’t make for very good cookies, either.

I can’t promise that, but I will commit to this

You can go above and beyond by simply saying, in advance, that you promise to call with an answer by, say, Tuesday, or earlier.

The money shot

The important thing is to come to an agreement on what and when. I call it butt-on-line. Putting your own butt on the line by making a what-by-when commitment is truly the key to your performance. This is what makes the world of business, and other human relationships, go around.

It won’t happen overnight

Getting better at keeping your word probably will happen slowly. Most of us shine a blind eye on the full cost of not keeping our word. That includes the cost to our lives, to our happiness, and to our financial well-being. Because we have those blinders on, we’re sometimes not motivated to make a change. But, it’s time to take those blinders off and do something.

Just start trying to do it

Start looking at when, where, and how you fail to keep your word. Then begin to notice, or at least to speculate, the cost involved. Ask yourself how you feel when others keep — and don’t keep — their word to you.

A future that’s better than the past

If you truly want a future that’s different from the past, keeping your word an ever-growing percentage of the time is likely the most direct route.

It’s one of the few points of control in our lives

It can be very, very scary. We really don’t have much control in this life. The tools I have given you today should help you gain control of one of those things: keeping your word.

It’s one that could matter most to your future.

It’s your choice

It’s a simple decision to make. You just have to start looking at the cost of not doing it. Maybe the cost is ok by you. Maybe it isn’t. But, once you get a glimpse of the true cost, though, I suspect you will be on your way. The world holds many good things for you if you improve just a little.

To you,
Eric

The secret to more sales in any economy

2008-05-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Do this and you practically can’t lose with a customer or prospect

Most of us feel that we would be unbeatable in the market if we had the best quality, the best price, and powerful differentiation. In my experience, you could have all that, and still fail. You also need trust between you (and your company) and the client.

Trust is the challenge

Trust, while vital to any worthwhile and productive relationship, seems to be a challenge for many to build and maintain successfully. Further, sales and marketing efforts that lack this vital ingredient, often (always, in my experience) fall far short of their potential.

The cost you never see

People hate to tell you that they don’t trust you. Instead, they let their actions do the talking for them. You usually can’t see the cost. What I have observed is that, as trust grows, new, interesting, and rich opportunities suddenly emerge, right before your eyes. Those goodies were always there, just waiting for you to earn the right to see them. That right almost always comes through trust.

I meet often with CEO’s and presidents

The first test I set for myself is the test of trust ability. Nothing else matters if I can’t pass this test. I got in the door because others said I was trustworthy. Now they run their tests to confirm it. If I pass, I move forward. You know what happens if I don’t pass the trust test: Nothing.

Surveys point at trust

Dozens of survey’s, done over the last 30 years; consistently show that prospects and customers feel they can tolerate average products, average service, and average pricing. But they can’t tolerate working without a certain degree of trust.

Trust can buy you some potent benefits:

Real loyalty, when times are tough: The behaviors that create and sustain trust are not affected by any economy.
Referrals. Some trust will deliver some referrals. Deep trust can drive a torrent of referrals your way. (However, this won’t happen without some action on your part.)
Better information. Some trust delivers some information. Deep trust results in a lot more information.
Win-win deals. Sometimes you must walk away from a deal to maintain your long-term trust relationship.
Better self esteem for you.
Far higher margins. In most surveys, price is not actually in the top five reasons that people buy or keep buying. Getting what they want in a fair manner is usually the main thing they are after. With trust, you can be paid what you are really worth in a situation. That doesn’t mean overcharging. It does mean that, if you provide great value, you are much more likely to be paid for that great value.
Fewer surprises.
Sales forecasts that become revenue reports with a minimum of leakage. (One forecast was for $100K while the actual revenue received turned out to be $30K. Nothing erodes your credibility like consistently missing your revenue forecasts).

What isn’t necessary to have trust (This might surprise you.)

You might be surprised to know that being liked is not a necessary part of a trusting relationship. It is helpful, and it likely leads to greater and more-effortless productivity, but it is not actually, in my experience, a requirement.

Story

I once had a business partner who was a very religious person. He was also off-the-charts brilliant at what he did for a living. But, he was a “difficult” person in the opinions of most of our customers. I cringed every time he got near a customer. Despite all that, we still got great customers. And we kept those customers while we increased our revenues each year. While this person was a royal pain at times, he was as trustworthy as the day was long.

Three levels of trust

Level one: Our values are aligned
Level two: I am competent in the things you need me to be accountable for.
Level three: I have the authority to achieve the things you need me to be accountable for.

An example:

I trust (level one) my lovely wife, in that our values are deeply aligned. We are going on vacation to Hawaii June 1st. I wouldn’t trust her to fly the 747 we will be flying on, because she is not competent to do that task (level two). Let’s just imagine, for a second, that she did know” how to fly a 747. I would not trust her (level three), because she would not be authorized by any airline (with a brain) to fly one.

To be powerful

You must test the levels of trust that your objectives require. We call this qualification.

The magic of keeping your word

The fundamental underlying all this, is the requirement that you keep your word. So easy to say and, oh so very hard to do, even if you know the mechanics of keeping your word. I’ll cover those mechanics next week, by the way.

How to build trust

The key is to ask, listen, and keep your word:

What do they want from what you are selling?
What do they value?
What does success look like?
How will they know success when they see it?
What complaints have they had with others who provide what you offer? (You are not asking the name of the others. You just want to know what the issues have been in the past. I like to ask, “What did they say when you told them about your concern”?)
What kind of service do you want and need?
What is the single most important thing to you in dealing with what I offer? (If it is price you might also want to say: “Pretend price is the lowest you have ever seen. What would be the next most important thing to you”?)

I am sure that you can think of a dozen other questions whose answers you need to know to align with your clients in your market. Just make sure you write them out, ask them, and record the answers. There is no memory in the world as powerful as words printed in pencil on plain white paper.

The big issues that derail trust even if you know all of the above:

Thinking about what you are going to say next, instead of really listening.
Not asking clarifying questions. The client is aware of it when you don’t ask a question that you should be asking. This is where the amateurs are separated from the professionals. The client loses trust in you if you don’t ask the right questions, and you begin to pose a risk to them, their career, and to their company. Even when you think you know, ask the question.
Not doing what you said you would do, every time. Essentially, you must keep your word. Again, we will go into the mechanics of keeping your word next week.

Bottom line

The bottom line is to take care of trust first, and then your product, service or company. You can have the best price, best service, and best quality, but without trust, you can, and will, be beaten by the competitor who has an average price, an average service, and average quality, but is wrapped in the security of trust.

Creation and maintenance of trust before the sale

If your clients know they can really trust you, they can tolerate almost anything else, as long as you and your offer truly meet their needs.

Choose to act now

Begin today to ask those questions, keep your word, and build trust. You will likely be amazed at what a difference it will make in your life.

Cheers,
Eric

Slow purchase decisions: What to do?

2008-05-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

If people can delay

If people can delay, they will. Your job is to make it easier and more logical to act, than to delay. If they delay, you have a choice; act or wait and hope for the best.

If you choose to wait (passively)

Let me know how that works out for you. I’ll be busy taking actions, making sales and going to the bank (with vacation, retirement and other deposits.)

The pain of delay

Delay costs you in many ways:

In lost revenue and profit
You incur more risk of loss to competitor
There is more risk that you have wasted your sales effort
It is emotionally unsatisfying
The irritation creates a drag on life in general
It robs you of the feeling of being effective and powerful
lients don’t get the value you offer. It’s a classic lose/lose situation.

Why do you delay?

If you know yourself, you will often know others. Answer this question for yourself, and you will be well on your way. We all delay when we can get away with it.

How people decide things

My observation, after 30 years and more than $1.5 billion in sales transactions under my belt, is that people make decisions in just two fundamental ways: 1.) They seek to clarity everything until a decision becomes obvious, or 2.) They take a stand, regardless of new information, or the possible availability of new information.

What is the cost of delay?

If the cost of delay is large, and the downside of acting right away is known or limited, things will happen. If there is no cost of delay, or there are unknown risks, things don’t happen until clarity is achieved.

What is possibly missing?

What information is possibly missing to make a good (safe) decision?

Background conversation

Most people are trying to make a decision that they can defend to others in their world. In essence, they want a good story, and they want a story that is simple enough for them to repeat successfully. Giving them that story is part of your job.

Service and detachment

You give the prospect all the help that you can, and then you ask for the order. Your clients will fall into a pattern. You just need to be prepared to help them, in a systematic way, get through their issues. When they get through the issues, they can make a decision. Don’t get emotionally involved. It will slow you down.

If you can’t walk away, it’s tough to sell

If prospects are not meeting you half-way, you are probably better off graciously setting them aside or suggesting that they not make a decision now. Get them, and yourself, off the fence and move on to the next target.

My internal conversation is always this

I always tell myself, “I am rich and I don’t need the money.” I am here to do this person a favor, but I don’t have all day. I did this when I was broke. It wasn’t easy, but it was the key to having the bank account that I enjoy today.

What I want

I want a firm “Yes,” or “No.” If I get a “Not now,” I want to know what it will take to get a firm “Yes,” or “No.” If the prospect can’t help me with that, I put them on a tickler list and keep dripping valuable information on them with lots of opportunities for them to buy.

The real problem

I suspect you already know most of what I have said. The real issue is that, in some cases, if you walk away from a prospect who can’t act, you know you really don’t have anyone else to sell to. Delay is not your real issue. Getting enough prospects to sell to is your real issue.

Only four major ways to get new prospects

They are: a solid, on-going marketing program, cold-calling, getting referrals and luck. Now I am going to put the shoe on the other foot:

Do you have a marketing process in place that gives you all the qualified prospects you need? If not, sign-up for my next marketing class and get busy.
Do you know how to cold-call successfully when you need to? Invest $49 and follow the directions. Then get busy.
Do you have a referral system in place that delivers a steady stream of qualified prospects? If not, get on the list for my upcoming referral program tele-seminar. Click here to join the list.

Are you going to delay? If so, why?

Your action

Put this newsletter into action. Do what you can to help prospects make a good decision. Then ask them to buy. If they still delay, move on to the next prospect.If you don’t have enough prospects to sell to - so you can walk away from someone who delays too much - consider taking one of the actions above. Without delay. It’s your life, and it’s happening now.

Cheers,
Eric

Customer disloyalty - What to do?

2008-05-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Disloyalty can shake you to your core

At a very basic level, when we perceive that someone else has acted in a way that we describe as being “disloyal,” it is a shock to the senses and may make us feel threatened at a fundamental level. This is one bad feeling. You thought things were one way, but they weren’t.

Too much can put you out of business

Nobody really expects perfection in life. Disloyalty in customers just happens. If it happens too much, you could be out of business. If you notice a trend; it is probably wise to act, so you’re not.

The brand of loyalty we want

Most of us just want people to be consistent, tell us when things are not what they want. We want them to be patient and flexible with us, while we try to get things back in line enough that they can be happy once again. Is that too much to ask for? Sadly yes, it is too much to ask for, realistically.

Where it comes from

People are disloyal when they don’t get what they want or need. In marriage, coffee, burgers, dry cleaners, and so on. If, overall, the needs are met, people stay loyal.

Bad economy often brings on disloyalty

Your customers are pressed in a bad economy just like you are: more for less. If you and your value proposition stay the same as they were when times were good, you could be at risk. If someone comes along that will meet their needs better for the same or lower price, then disloyalty might occur.

What we can choose to do

“Disloyalty” is simply a conversation your customer has in his or her head. It often goes like this: “Joe doesn’t get it that things have changed for me. He doesn’t realize that my priorities have changed. I keep telling him, but they don’t make the changes that I need. Bill (with another company) keeps promising to give me what I want. Maybe I should give him a try.”

No, they often didn’t actually let you know

The tough part is that nobody told you that things were changing. One day they just left. Sorry. Welcome to adulthood. That is just the way it happens sometimes. It simply means that they like you enough to not want to talk about it. They can’t stand the pain of owning up to what they feel they must do. They just want to run away and think about something else, as they give their business to someone new.

What can you do?

Ask the questions: “How is the economy affecting you? Let’s assume the product is no-cost. What else would you want from me so that all of your needs are met”?

You might not like what you hear, but you will be dealing with reality.You can’t change human behavior, but…

You can change the ways you act or don’t act. I hope you are sitting down. In most cases, disloyalty simply means we have fallen out of alignment with our customers’ perceived needs. Sometimes, you can make the changes necessary to stay aligned, other times you can’t. In the end, “disloyalty” is usually just that simple.

Action step

Consider getting out there and asking 10 customers the question above. See if you can stay aligned with customers, using your current business model with just small adjustments. Often the necessary changes cost you little, and get you back into alignment. Sometimes the changes are too much, and you must make major changes or let the customer go.

Get serious

If you want to slow or stop disloyalty, you have to start with questions, in my experience. You can take action this instant, with our book on questions, Closing More Sales by Asking Better Questions.

This book will help you get answers that allow you to slow or stop disloyalty. But, you have to act on what you learn. It’s an investment of $49 that, if put into even modest action, could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars, or even your job. Click the link above, or cut and paste this URL, to get the book:http://www.succeedinginbusiness.com/value-closing.html

Cheers,
Eric

Handling objections after they say, "Tell me more"

2008-04-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Some say you'll always get objections.

I’m not so sure about that, but here are the categories that most objections fall into, I find:

No trust
No need
Not now
No budget
Politics

No Decision, Inc., could be your main competitor

Most people, in my experience, either lose a sale to themselves, or to “No Decision, Inc.” If you really have your differentiation down cold, your competition is usually not your number-one problem.

No trust

Trust is simply the alignment of values, in my book. Most people could care less about what you offer, if they don’t trust you. You kill trust by implying any interest in clients besides serving them and serving them well. The number one and two errors here are about speaking and listening. In short, don’t sound like a salesperson, and do listen. If you can’t meet the need, walk.

No need

You shouldn’t even be talking if you are not relatively sure that the target needs, wants, and can afford, what you are offering. It might be a good idea to have a set of clear qualification questions. This is where true professional selling begins: Either targets are qualified or they are not. Good questions help sell, and don’t scare away truly-qualified targets, in my experience.

Side note

One great way to get to the poorhouse in a big hurry is to try to convince people that they need something when they don’t already perceive the need. It is important to be a master at teasing out and nurturing a latent need, but it is foolhardy, in my opinion, to try to take someone from blissful ignorance to a state of being ready to purchase as a regular way to make a living.

Not now

Your first move here is to listen. You don’t want to engage in wishful thinking, so respecting a rational “not now,” is usually a wise move. Prior to moving on, however, I always like to do a quick cost-of-delay calculation and get it on the table with the client. When the “not now” is real and warranted, the cost-of-delay is sadly just a cost that will have to be endured, for the moment.

A “not now” example

A client wanted a new forecasting system as a means to manage sales growth. He wanted it yesterday. We were just getting down to final details when he said the dreaded, “Not now.” Turns out his parent company had unilaterally decided that he would implement the company’s standard ERP system. I think he was wise to delay.

No budget

This is a very tricky one. If all these factors are present: You really have a return-on-investment (ROI) for what you are proposing; You are high enough in the organization; there is trust; there is real need; and your ROI compares favorably with the other investment opportunities, the no- budget response might not be real.

Budget and qualification

There is always money when there is trust, need, urgency, ROI, and if the politics line up. If you keep running into the no-budget response, either one of the above is not as real as you think, or possibly you just need to change the person you are targeting. It could also be the dreaded political factor.

Politics

When politics enter into it, rationality often leaves the room. Again, just qualify. The acid test here is the quid pro quo (tit for tat). Is the rule of rational reciprocation in effect? Is the target doing what normal, well- qualified clients do in this situation? Are they making and keeping commitments? If not, politics probably are looming large, and you might find yourself being used to get concessions from the politically-favored candidate.

Your mission

The idea is to have enough targets that, when a particular one does not qualify, you can walk away and spend your precious time with someone who does qualify. Ignoring the objections above is a killer. Do so at your own peril.

The bottom line

Build trust by asking questions and focusing on being of real service. Qualify. Listen. And above all, be willing to walk, if the target is not qualified and is not behaving with integrity. If you do all that, I suspect that objections will diminish as issues in your marketing and sales career.

All the best,

Eric

The rest of the story

2008-04-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Things often don’t make sense
Following your gut instincts, combined with doing your homework, can be a powerful way to live life. Add to that the power of conviction that can come from learning to trust yourself, and you have a good life, in my book.

The checklist story

Late last year, I wrote a newsletter about the amazing power of a checklist in hospital Intensive Care Units (ICU) to practically eliminate a type of infection that occurred in four percent of ICU patients. Some of those infected died. Others just wished they had. Here is the link to the story:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/12/10/071210fa_fact_gawande

Alas, no good deed goes unpunished

A little while ago, a reader sent me another link about “the rest of the story” on the checklist. Sadly, some government bureaucracy forced the discontinuation of the checklist. Reading the story made me momentarily very sad. You can read it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/opinion/30gawande.html?_r=1&em&ex=1199422800&en=e051a064cfbb0114&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin

Conviction

This week, I just want to encourage you be smart, be real, think 80/20, do your homework, and then proceed with conviction, no matter what anyone else says or does. I’ll bet many of the good doctors who were told to quit using the checklist in the story above, followed their convictions and did the right thing. At least I hope they did.

Sorry this week’s post is so short

I fell and injured my right arm (temporarily, I hope). Each key stroke on the computer hurts. With luck, sleep and some Advil, I’ll be back in action next week.
To your success,
Eric

Vacation and the 80/20 rule

2008-04-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Spring break at Black Butte Ranch

A major goal for me this year was to get my two boys (ages 9 and 15) to be confident skiers. To this end, we passed on our usual escape-the-rain-of-the-Pacific-Northwest spring vacation to Hawaii or Mexico, and instead, opted for a vacation at Black Butte Ranch, in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. (http://www.blackbutteranch.com/)

Skiing at Hoodoo

Black Butte is a short 15- to 30-minute drive from a “steep & deep” little ski area, called Hoodoo Mountain Resort, where lift tickets are cheap, a lift line is rare and the scenery is spectacular (http://www.hoodoo.com/)

A win on two counts

Daily skiing converted my sons from timid skiers to confident skiers. A firm commitment to my wife to do zero work while on vacation, earned me major brownie points with her, and also gave me a great deal of perspective.

I knew it was coming

Unplugging from work for seven days is not easy for me. Had my wife and sons not pressed the issue, I might not have done it. I am very thankful they did. The perspective was powerful.

Getting a little distance showed me dozens of opportunities to step up my game with the 80/20 rule.

In or out?

I had gotten so busy before vacation that I had lost perspective. I can now see that I had drifted into investing in some activities that did not fit the 80/20 rule — to the detriment of both family and business. My post-vacation resolve is to make the hourly choice of “in or out” (to comply with the 80/20 rule). My life depends on it.

What really matters

My wife, my sons, my faith and my health are the foundations of success for me. Before vacation, I could not have been convicted in any court of having my focus in the right place. I was all business. I was kidding myself, and putting what I value most, at risk.

The irony

I can already see that most of the business that had taken the place of my family, faith and health, was simply not worth it. As of this week, I am acting on that conviction, and dropping things that don’t pass the 80/20 rule. This is more than a little scary…but it’s the right thing to do.

Are you taking those vacations?

Some of you don’t close it down and take vacations. If you do take them, great. If you don’t, consider doing it this year. If I could give everyone who reads this newsletter just one thing to help them succeed this year, it would simply be perspective. In my book, there is nothing quite like a fully-unplugged vacation for getting the perspective to help you succeed the rest of the year, no matter what the economy may be doing.

To your success,
Eric

Get real in recession if you want to survive and thrive

2008-04-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Your recession experience: easy or hard?

In my opinion, how this recession treats you depends on how real you get about your situation. Get real by taking appropriate actions and you and those you love will likely have the best experience possible. Put your head in the sand and I wish you good luck.

In a recession, everyone is on commission

In a recession, everyone is on commission, even if they don’t realize it. A company will — and has to — let anyone go who does not pull his or her own weight. Some do this sooner than others. Those companies who don’t, often put themselves at greater risk of failing.

A tale of two reactions

In the early 1990’s, Japan, Finland and Sweden all rapidly spiraled into deep recession. The leaders in Finland and Sweden looked squarely at the situation and took action. Their recession was short but intense. Finland and Sweden returned to stability within a year or two, and have been steady since.

The high cost of saving face vs. action

Japan preferred to save face and did not recognize the core issue. They did not take the painful, but appropriate, actions. Their recession kept growth near zero for more than a decade.

The path through the recession is available

You’re my reader, so I want you to survive and thrive through this recession. The recipe for doing this is no secret. In its simplest form, the recipe is simply to see your gaps and take action, starting now.

Getting what you want

When you bake a cake or a loaf of bread, you won’t likely get what you intended if you leave out an ingredient. The same is true in sales and marketing. Do you know the complete recipe?
Many have not needed a recipe in the past.

Those days could be over

The tough part is that, for many, the last decade has been so easy that many could achieve their definitions of success without following the recipe. Unlike other recessions, this one is likely the end of being able to “wing it” to success in business. I might be wrong, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

What to do?

I suspect you already know some, or all, of the changes you could make to improve your odds of short- and long-term success. If you see opportunities, please consider taking calm and deliberate action today, to shore up your situation. If you don’t see your opportunities as clearly as you would like, read on.

For tried-and-true clarity you can go here instantly, for perspective

If your gaps are not as clear as you would like, and you want a good score card to quickly see and prioritize your improvement opportunities, you can download my no-cost scorecard here.

Are you Japan? Or Finland and Sweden?

Japan insured a decade of pain by not dealing with reality as early as possible. Finland and Sweden got real and got healthy in months, instead of years and decades. The choice is yours.

To your success,

Eric

The 90 day rule

2008-04-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

You probably want more new business. Most people who read a newsletter like Success Tips, the weekly newsletter from http://www.succeedinginbusiness.com/, do so to improve their ability to get new business. If that is true of you, then knowing the 90 day rule may be as important to your success as the 80/20 rule.

Why so important?

Here is what we have observed and tested for the last 20 years: You won't really “get” a new behavior until you’ve consciously done it for 90 days. Also, you might not get the full results until after 90 days of fairly consistent effort.

Why is that so?

Brain plasticity. If you give your brain a new task, it will do it. Your brain is "plastic," or flexible. Now for the nasty part: As soon as you quit focusing on the new task, your brain's memory will go back to the way it did it in the past. That is the power — and the pain — of brain flexibility.

Your brain is like a fishing pole

When you cast your line, or when you catch a fish, your pole will bend. When the pressure is off, the bend goes away. That is just like your brain, with one major exception.

Keep the focus or pressure on for 90 days

If you keep the pressure on your brain for 90 days, it won't snap back to its old pattern when you take the pressure off. At least it won't snap back as quickly. Once “bent” for 90 days, it takes relatively modest effort to keep it bent.

The power of 3, 5 and 11

Some educators will suggest that they see students experience major jumps in performance 3, 5, and 11 months after the introduction of new material. I routinely see the same thing with my coaching clients. It is so predictable that I put it on the calendar for them.

Here is the critical success point

80 percent of your results will typically come from 20% of your activities, so pick those activities carefully. Realistically you can make only a few real changes in your life at any one time. Take those 2–3 things that you want to focus on, and give them 90 days of persistent focus. Pick more than 2-3 focus points, and I can practically guarantee failure.

If not 90 days, why bother at all?

If you won't give it 90 days of persistence, you might as well not bother with it at all, in most cases. For many worthwhile things, you will not see any significant results in less than 90 days. If you are not willing to go the 90 days, why start at all?

An example

Using the "What's-in-it-for-me" (WIIFM) point of view: Nearly 100 percent of the people who take my Marketing Fast Track program come into the program — no matter what they initially think — not looking at their businesses from the customer's point of view. Most of the messages they send to the market are completely ignored.

The power of the shift

By the end of the class, everyone knows, at a very deep level, the secrets of how to say things that customers will pay attention to and act on. They learn to speak WIIFM fluently. For those that keep the WIIFM focus for 90 days, a steady increase in new business is the usual result. You can read a small sample of their success comments here.

But I need relief now

Let's face it; we all would like results right now. Sadly, for most worthwhile results, that is just not in the cards. Waiting for someone else to bring your future to you is what I call being a victim. If you want and need relief, consider picking a few focus points that are worthwhile and try sticking with them for at least 90 days.

Are you ready for more customers despite this recession?

Pick 1–3 new strategies or tactics and focus on it or them persistently for the next 90 days. If you pick wisely, and stick with it, I suspect that you will have taken a major step to blunt the impact of this recession on your life. For some, it will be as if there never was a recession. For nearly all of my coaching clients, 2008 will be their best year ever.

Why is that?

They follow the advice in this particular newsletter. It’s one of my foundation principles.
90 percent of your competitors are asleep, and will not do the 90 days

Just remember, while it may seem that the competition is stiff, it isn't usually as tough as it seems.

First, don't give up.
Second, choose carefully when you build your recipe for success.
Third, focus on those things (1–3 of them) that you suspect are the 20 percent that could drive 80 percent of your improvement.

Relax

Now focus on those points with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have done all that you can do.

To your success,
Eric

The 80/20 rule in action: Make more, work less

2008-04-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all."
-- Peter Drucker
Author, management consultant, professor

Is your time managing you?

Do your work, customers, social life, family life, friendships, and a million other commitments make you feel like a junior high school cross country runner on a hot and dry afternoon? Is your tongue hanging out, sweat dripping down your brow, as the coach yells, "Faster, faster, faster!"

Magic wand

Wouldn’t it be great to have a magic wand that you could wave and suddenly have it all make sense, get you hours of free time every day, and still keep everyone in your world happy?

The magic wand is known to a few

There is a secret that has been known by a precious few for thousands of years. It is the single greatest secret of productivity.

More time and money for a little careful thought

Applying this secret to your life now, can free up one to two hours a day, and catapult you into the promised land: making more while working less.

How do you work less and make more money?

Put the 80/20 rule to work for you.

The 80/20 rule says:
80 percent of your sales volume comes from 20 percent of your customers.
80 percent of your profits come from 20 percent of your customers.
80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your daily activity.
80 percent of your headaches come from 20 percent of your customers.
80 percent of your satisfaction and enjoyment comes from 20 percent of the people that you spend time with.

The vital few

The 80/20 rule is telling us that a rather small number of customers, activities, and people generate a huge percentage of our sales volume, profits, results, and satisfaction, in business and in life.

Mr. Pareto to you

Vilfredo Pareto is credited with first documenting this principle that now bears his name (the Pareto principal). It's also known as the 80/20 rule.

A global principal

Pareto found that no matter the culture, the time in history, no matter the circumstances that 20 percent of the people always controlled 80 percent of the wealth.

Amazing

Pareto also found that 20 percent of the efforts of everyone he studied could account for 80 percent of their results, in any and all activities he studied.

Covers joy too

Just 20 percent of what you do is responsible for 80 percent of what you get in life, including income, joy, fun, and success in life.

Instantly available

Consider taking action today to drop some or all of the 80 percent that only yields 20 percent of your results and you may see a dramatic increase in your time, energy, and often your wealth… no matter what the economy is doing to those around you.

95/5 is possible

With my private coaching clients, I usually find that the rule is not 80/20 at all. It is more often 95/5. Really, 95 percent of their improvement in bottom line results comes from just 5 percent of their activities.

Warren Buffet will share his secret with you now…really!

Berkshire Hathaway's annual Chairman’s Letter, in my opinion, share's the secret of making Warren Buffet the richest man in the world. Check out pages 5–8 of the report. (Note: If, for some reason, clicking the link above doesn't work, copy the following URL and paste it in the Address field of your browser, to read this amazing secret of business success:

(http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2007ltr.pdf.)

Warren's rules are simple. Yours might be, too.

For today, I just want to encourage you to start observing where your results really come from. Then ask, "What could I just quit doing, without a real adverse impact"?

Are you in a hurry and want an inexpensive but powerful road map?

I have a book with 76 powerful and proven strategies that almost every one can put into action immediately to make the 80/20 rule begin to work in their lives, today. Take action on just four or five of these each month, for the next year, and you will be far ahead of practically everyone around you, for the rest of your life.

Get your copy of the $49 Making More While Working Less eBook, now.

How Sally killed the 80/20 rule

2008-04-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

Retirement in four years made simple.

Last week I gave you a laundry list of actions a woman named Sally took that allowed her to retire in four years. And to do it with financial security for the rest of her life. What I didn’t tell you might actually be more important than the list.

What I didn’t tell you

Sally didn’t make the mistake of trying to do everything on the list at one time. She and I agree that she would have failed, and failed miserably, had she even tried. Sally first wrote down three goals she cared passionately about, and looked at them twice a day. She did this for 30 days straight, with no exceptions. She ignored the rest of the list.

The second thirty days (when the money started to come in)

During the second thirty days, she focused only on getting an effective elevator speech down. She worked at it at least 30 minutes or more, daily. She tested it hundreds of times. At the end of 30 days, she had a tool that made her money every working day for the next four years. More money than she had ever thought possible.

A short aside

(I asked Sally what her elevator speech had been worth to her. She said it had been worth at least $250,000 during the four years she used it, probably more. She also added that almost none of her competition had an elevator speech, and that made it vastly easier for her to win. Finally, I showed her the new book. She swatted me, asking why I hadn't written it for her, years ago.)

Sally did four things that killed the 80/20 rule

There were four things that Sally did that made all the difference - in her net happiness, and in her net worth. She calls it her 96/4 rule: 96 percent of her results came from four simple moves, or four percent of her efforts. She killed the 80/20 rule with those four things.

So far, you know two of them

Sally reviewed three clear, simple, and visual goals twice a day. That was the first thing she did. The second thing she did was focus on her elevator speech. Besides being normally busy, she got it down cold during a 30-day period that otherwise would have produced little.
I’ll tell you about the other two next week.

To your success,
Eric

Sally's last two tricks

2008-04-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last week, Sally left us wondering

What were the last two tricks that gave her peace of mind and a quick four years to retirement?

To refresh your memory, her first two tricks were

Sally knew her future hinged on getting a laser focus on her goals and developing a killer elevator speech. Those were her first two tricks. (As you know, a great elevator speech is designed to get this response: “Tell me more.”)

What’s a girl to do when the world says, “Tell me more”?

Sally always did two things (her last two tricks)

1. She had a set of questions at the tip of her tongue that made people think, and that allowed her to close about 20 percent of her deals right then and there. Great questions separate the amateurs from the professionals in every business.

2. She had a marketing process that answered the eight key questions all buyers always have in the back of their minds. (None of her competition ever got around to answering them.)Sally really never did much selling beyond her elevator speechShe had a great elevator speech, and it always seemed to elicit: “Tell me more.”

Sally rarely ever told them more… until later

When they said, “Tell me more,” Sally started asking questions. Some bought quickly, while 80 percent did not. Because of the questions, when Sally started sending them more information, they read what Sally sent.

Sally never did work hard, just really, really smart

She let the power of the drip do the hard work for her:

(Copyright 2006 APGI: http://www.albertsonperformancegroup.com/)

Sally, I’m ready to buy. Can we talk?

Every few days somebody was putting their hands up saying, “Sally, I’m ready to buy.” They had been reading the information Sally was sending in the mail, email, by fax and on the occasional teleseminar.

What the drip meant

Sally’s target market knew that Sally knew them, their problems and the outcomes they wanted. Sally had asked the right questions and had dripped back the right information. Sales were a breeze.

Sally used to work like a rented mule

At one point, all Sally said in her sales talks was “me,” “me,” and “I” this and “I” that, and “Do-Do-Do.” Sally finally realized that nobody cared. The only things that mattered to her prospects were the pain they felt and the outcomes they wanted. They were all tuned into radio station WIIFM (“What’s in it For Me”?).

Sally’s turnaround and increase in wealth took only 150 days

Here is Sally’s timeline:

30 days working on her goals

30 days working on her elevator speech

30 days working on her questions

60 days building her marketing kit

It took Sally 5 months of relatively focused effort

In those five months, Sally got herself set up to make more money than she had made in the past 20 years. What are you going to be doing with your next 5 months? Really. Do you have a plan?

Just pass part of the audit

You saw the audit in a previous issue of this newsletter. Sally didn’t do it all. She just did the four things, above. Sally lived the 80/20 rule and has a very nice retirement because of it. More on the 80/20 rule in real life next week.

To your success, Eric

The audit I hope you don't fear

2008-04-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

Format: A story with a checklist

Sally said, “Just four percent succeed”

I was talking to Sally about her new job in sales, one day. She said she'd heard that 96 percent of all salespeople quit sales within two years of starting. She didn’t want to be a statistic, and she'd do whatever it took to be one of the four percent who made it.

I think I know the reason most folks quit

She asked me why salespeople quit. I told her that, in my experience, they quit because they don’t see a way to play the game to win, financially or psychologically…or possibly because it just isn't as much fun as work should be.

It doesn’t have to be that way

Then Sally asked, “What do I need to do to succeed”? I told her that if she could work to (eventually) pass the audit I was about to give her, she was likely on her way to success.

You can see your opportunities and act

I also told her that, if she couldn't pass the audit, she would at least learn where she might want to look at improving her odds of success…and her income, to say nothing of her self confidence and joy.

Here is the audit I gave Sally. Rate yourself on a scale of one to ten for each of them, with ten being near perfect (checklist alert):

Your goals are clear and you review them daily.
You have a reasonable product or service. You can understand why your target market would buy it.
You have a sales and marketing process proven to work in your industry or niche.
You know how many people in your specific target market you need to speak with to get a sale.
You have a sufficient list of people who look like your “ideal customer” in a target list in which you are confident you can make your number, month after month.
You know the specific pains and aspirations of your target market, and you know that your product or service can address them.
You have a collection of offers that relate to every pain or aspiration you address.
You know the outcomes or results that using your product or service will usually deliver.
You have an elevator speech that works, reliably, to get people to say, “Tell me more.”
You have a set of questions that you ask to find out if someone is qualified to need, want and afford what you sell.
You are detached enough to walk away when a target is not really qualified to buy what you sell, even if you desperately need a sale.
When they don't buy immediately, but have said, “Tell me more,” you get their contact information and “drip” valuable information on them that relates to how your product or service makes their pain go away.
You understand how to use the phone in your business, and what to expect from using it.
You have a Web site that talks to the target markets WIIFM (what’s in it for me?) and not what you do (do-do and wee-wee).
You don't sound or act like a salesperson. You sound like someone who is seeking to qualify the target, in or out, for your product or service.
You have a system to follow up with folks who have said, “Tell me more.”
You spend most of your day (three to six hours) in selling and marketing activities.
You don't have selling and marketing confused.
You get enough rest and exercise to be fully-engaged when at work
You are reasonably organized and efficient.
You have goals that you are passionately interested in achieving.
You understand that results come from action and not talk
You get satisfaction from making a sale, and even more from achieving your quota or objective.
You have a rewarding life outside of sales.
You don’t work more than 50 hours a week.
You do what you say you will do for targets, clients and your employer.

You can't fail this audit

As I told Sally, there is no right or wrong score here. Just give yourself a score, on a scale of one through ten, with ten being the highest.

Stand back and look

I asked her if she liked what she saw in herself. Could she improve? Did she want to improve?

Are you ready to take action to improve?

Sally didn't like what she saw at the moment, but she knew that she could make a few gradual changes and see steady, incremental success.

That conversation took place a few years ago. Sally sold her business and retired happy, wealthy and wise.

Now for the question…

What would you like to do next?

To your success - Eric

Someone is stealing from you

2008-04-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

The $60K + difference

Depending on your perspective, $60 thousand dollars is a little or a lot. For most of us, it’s a lot of money. That’s $5 thousand a month, over the course of a full year. If someone was stealing that much from you, you might be pretty mad. You would probably do something about it. Right away.

Someone is stealing from you every month. But how much?

You most likely have a thief who is steadily and stealthily taking money out of your pocket, out of your savings account, out of your vacation fund, out of your retirement account, and so on.

It’s not just money. It’s also time.

That same thief is stealing your time, time with your family, time spent on your hobby, time with your favorite charity, time at church, time with your loved ones, time reading; time from the things that make life worth living.

The biggest thing the thief is stealing is…

Your sense of self-confidence. You can recover from a lot. But, if you lose your sense of self-confidence, practically everything seems difficult; there is little (if any) light at the end of the tunnel.

When does the thief strike?

Every time you make a phone call, meet someone new, send an email, build a web page, go to church, go to your kids’ school, use social networking tools, such as www.linkedin.com, or www.facebook.com. It happens whenever you communicate with other people with the hope of standing out from the crowd.

Beyond first impressions

First impressions come from how you look and what you say. We only partially control how we look. We have the option of totally controlling what we say. Once an impression is made, it usually sticks for years, and it’s resistant to change. Say it right, and you stop the thief.

Today you are probably leaving it to chance

If you are like the rest of the world, you leave it to chance: Whatever happens to pop into your brain when they ask you, ”So, what do you do”?

Why is Apple here today?

Apple wasn't first; it wasn't the best. The others were the TRS-80, the Altair 8800, and Imsai 8080. Computers were intimidating, but Apple was “friendly.” The name told a repeatable story that took off, despite an initial marketing budget of just $91 thousand. Apple was instantly meaningful and easy to repeat. The rest is history.

Get it right and repeatable and…

You stop the thief in his tracks. Almost anybody can increase his income by $1 thousand per month, within 90 days or less, by being clear and repeatable. Many can increase it by $5 thousand, and more, when they get it right. It usually takes a lot less time to make that money, too. That’s time to spend on what really matters in your life.

Getting it right means…

Passing two tests. First, what you do is meaningful to a specific type or group of people; it is not for everyone. Second, you solve, in an effective way, a big problem, or you meet an aspiration, that the group has. This is simple, but almost never done. If you get it just partially right, you win and the thief is slowed, or stopped.

The acid test

I routinely make a million-dollar bet. If I talked to the 20 people closest to you and asked who you serve, what problem(s) you address and what outcomes you deliver, my bet is that I would not hear one relatively uniform answer. I have yet to pay up. Most people’s spouses can’t even give a specific, easy to repeat answer. The thief loves this.

How to do it (checklist alert)

The recipe is simple. 1) Who do you serve, specifically? 2) What major problem do you address? 3) What innovative outcome do you deliver? 4) What proof of effectiveness can you offer?
That’s it. Write it down, make it flow and easy to repeat and you are on your way. Practice, practice, practice. Anyone can do it.

Test and polish

You won’t get it right to start. Build one and test it. You will know it is good when others repeat it, and members of your target market say, “Tell me more,” 30 percent to 60 percent of the time.

Key to referrals and word-of-mouth

Referrals and word-of-mouth (WOM) are, in reality, I believe, the primary way most people survive in business. Succeeding in business means getting your elevator speech worked out so that your world can easily give you referral and WOM support. If you can’t pass the acid test above, you are giving the thief open rein in your life.

Want more help stopping the thief?

The first edition of Elevator Speech sold approximately 15,000 copies and got rave reviews.
The second edition of Elevator Speech contains all the wisdom of the first, plus some potent additions. It contains easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. It includes all the tricks you’re likely need, as well as the traps you’ll want to avoid.

Maybe best of all…

Lots of examples you can convert for your own use

The new edition of Elevator Speech also includes scores of real-world examples that you can convert to your own use, especially if you’re in one of these fields:

• Insurance• Financial planning• Real estate• Legal• Recruitment• Stock brokering• Consulting• Training

To purchase this e-book click here

So tell me… What do you do?

To your success - Eric

Lethal Drift

2008-04-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

He’s comfortable, but…

Scott asked me if I knew why he wasn’t getting where he wanted to go. I told him that, from what I could see, he was exactly where he really wanted to be: comfortable.

Lethal drift

Scott talked a big game about getting somewhere, but couldn’t have been convicted in a court of law of ever doing very much about it. Scott was in a lethal drift in life.

Happens when

The lethal drift happens when what you want, and what you actually do, don’t align. We are distracted while we slowly die in place.

You don’t align your attention and intention

The hard truth is that we must all decide what few things will get our attention. That attention is the most limited thing in our lives. If our attention does not align with our goals or intentions, we may be in a lethal drift.

You can stop the lethal drift by…

(Checklist alert)
Reviewing the goals you care passionately about achieving, twice a day.
Enhancing your visualization of the goals at each review.
measuring daily or weekly progress to get real about actions.
Aligning attention (actions) with intention (goals); don’t kid yourself.

So, ask yourself: “Am I like Scott, or not”?

Scott died a long time ago (figuratively speaking). He is now just waiting for a comfortable burial. Is that what you want? What could you be convicted of, in a court of law, from the evidence of your life (calendar, check book, credit card receipts)?

If you are not like Scott

Do you want to be, or have something beyond, what you are, or have, today? The journey starts, or is revitalized, when you get a progressively clearer mental picture of what are you living for.

You can begin with one step

Getting and staying in action is the key. Forgive yourself when you make a mistake, rest a little, and get back into action.

Strategies & tactics for more sales for the rest of this year

And yes, create the right checklists to keep your path to your success as straight as possible.
Enough about goals. You’ve got them or you haven’t.

This is the last newsletter devoted to goals. We will now focus on practical strategies and tactics to make you more money and give you more aware, alive, and precious lives.

To your success, Eric

Setting and Achieving Your Goals is a powerful guide to getting and staying in action for what matters in your life. It’s just $19.95 (will be $47 starting February 8th EOD). Please buy it and use it.

You will also have the option of adding Successful People Have A Dream for an additional $7 (usually $43, and will return to $43 at the end of this week. Act now. They are both good books).

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man"

--George Bernard Shaw

"Never, never, never give up" - Winston Churchill

The Gearbox of a Different Future

2008-04-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

The gearbox of a different future

Today, I’ll try to share with you, at a high level, what some of the experts have learned about the mechanics, or “gearbox” of getting a future different from the past. These will be practical steps you can choose to put to use starting today if you are so inclined.

Change or Die

Change or Die is the title of a book by a fellow named Alan Deutschman. It is a very good read. It essentially says that most people will choose to die instead of changing. It also covers some of the strategies that lead to real and lasting change. Under normal circumstances this might be true.

“Normal” is a choice.

If you read this newsletter

You are probably one of the brave, the proud, and the few who are very committed to making each day better than the last. You already know that, “If if it is to be, it is up to me,” along with a little help from friends, family, your faith and maybe even a couple people who write the occasionally-useful newsletter.

Relate, repeat, reframe

Deutschman’s prescription is essentially that change comes from being in a firmly-supportive relationship that demands new behavior, supporting repetition, and gaining new perspective (reframing). In short: new hope, new skills, and new thinking. I’ll get to some practical applications of this, and more, in a bit. Please keep reading.

So what’s missing?

In my opinion, lots. There is more research and more experience in getting change to happen that is not covered in Change or Die. Here are the bullet points covering some of what might be missing:

Clear and precise intent (that is, an authentic and passionate goal)

Goal agreement
Aligned commitments
Twice daily visualization
Having a basic recipe and then adjusting as you go
Daily progress recording or writing in a journal
Knowing what success looks like

Many of the reviewers of Change or Die mentioned that they had given away many copies of the book. I have given away exactly none. Why? As written, I think it is just entertainment, albeit good entertainment. Let’s get on to some things that I think help “relate, repeat, and reframe” make it over the finish line.

Let’s get to the “gearbox”

To give you the “gearbox” that leads to a new future will simply require that I expand on the seven points above. You then can choose if you wish to put them into action in your life. The items covered below are the things that, if not dealt with, often derail change efforts.

(By the way, this is one of those checklists I promised you.)Let’s get after it:
Clear and precise intent (that is, an authentic and passionate clear goal)

a. Tackle no more than three significant goals at any one time. Adding more often puts the others at risk. Be mindful of the 80/20 rule in your selection process.
b. Write out your goals/intent. Don’t kid yourself. Write out only those things that you really want and are really, really, really, committed to having in your life.
c. Do the SMART thing (make them specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-related).
d. Don’t let it be a situation in which, if you don’t attain this goal, you are going to beat yourself up. It just doesn’t help, and your subconscious rebels.
e. Write out the visualization you will use to support and motivate the achievement of this goal. Get into the detail, the feeling. Visualize it as though it is an accomplished fact, this instant. For some it helps to add pictures.
f. Now go back and forth between the visualization and the written goal/commitment/intent, and adjust them until they are fully aligned. Be patient but persistent; this could take some time.
g. If you don’t do the three things above, you are doomed before you start, in my humble opinion and experience. When I do this correctly, I almost always get what I set out to get.

2. Goal agreement

a. Do the above with your major (read that as important to achieve) goals.
b. Do any of the goals conflict with any of the other goals in any material way?
c. If some goals are in conflict, it will probably be necessary to make some choices. Conflicting goals in conflict are seldom achieved.
d. Don’t proceed until your goals are in agreement, and no conflicts exists. This is critical. Conflicts kill achievement much of the time.

3. Aligned commitments

a. To see your real current commitments, take a look at your schedule (personal and professional), your checkbook, your credit card receipts, your phone bills (numbers called), and your email history.
b. Look at how you spend your time and money and simply get clear about how your goals might force a change. Are you really willing to change a long-standing pattern? Like watching two hours of television every night?
c. Ask yourself, “When I read my goals, do I have any second thoughts, or other internal conversations that suggest an internal conflict of commitments?” Ask yourself this question a number of times. Just being afraid doesn’t count.
d. Also ask yourself, “How would friends, family, associates, colleagues, partners, significant others, and so on, feel if I were to attain this?”
e. Finally, ask yourself, “If I were to attain this, would anybody or any organization I care about, be concerned?”
f. Continue in this fashion until you either adjust the goal or the commitment, so that you can proceed from a foundation of aligned commitments. Mis-aligned commitments might be the number one reason that people don’t achieve what they set out to achieve.

4. Twice daily visualization

a. It is critical that you visualize, in great, rich detail, your having attained this goal. If you want to be living in a new house, go visit a model of the exact home and take pictures. See yourself walking the halls, relaxing, waking up, and driving into the driveway. Dwell on how you will feel in each of those situations.

b. Some people record themselves reading their goals and describing their visualizations, burn a CD or MP3 and play it on the way to and from work each day.

5. Have a basic recipe and then adjust as you go

a. Write down where you are today in plain language. For example, “My W-2 last year stated that I made $91,359.34 for 2007.” Do this for each goal.

b. Write down where you want to be when the goal is achieved. For example," My W-2 for 2008 will report that I made $125,000.00 or more in 2008.” Do this for each goal.

c. Now, write down what’s possibly missing, to achieve this goal. At first you will likely write down outcomes, such as “Earn $10,500.00 in commissions for February 2008.” Next, write down what’s possibly missing to earn $10,500.00 in February 2008. At this point you might write something like, “Call 150 people who could buy X from me and ask them to see me within the next two weeks.” Now we are at the level of a specific action to take. Now ask, what’s possibly missing for me to make 150 calls. When you answer this question, you have an action that you can begin taking right now. Do this for each goal.

d. Every time you get done with an action, go back and ask yourself, “What’s possibly missing,” to get yourself back into action. If you can get into, and stay in action, you can achieve most goals. Once you take action, the next action often becomes obvious. If you get stuck, ask the magic words, “What’s possibly missing?” to get back into action. Now take the action. Do this for each goal.

e. Go through this process until you have taken the actions that lead to the full realization of the goal.

6. Daily progress-recording or journal writing

a. Every day, record what did, and didn’t, happen on the path to achieving the goal. In my experience, it never helps to blame, or put yourself down if you don’t achieve what you had hoped. You always have a choice. Some days, you will likely choose to not move forward for whatever reason. The key is to stay aware and not kid yourself.

b. If you are dieting, for example, the recipe is simple: Set a goal for weight loss by a certain date, figure out how many calories you are going to take in each day, what kind of calories (e.g. refined or unrefined foods), how much exercise, how much sleep, and how much water you are going to drink. Now, just write down what you actually did each day. Recommit each day to either staying on track or getting back on track. Be conscious of progress, or lack thereof, every single day. Write it down.

c. Take daily action so that you have something to write down at the end of the day.

7. Knowing what success looks like

a. Keep refining your visualization of what success will look like, adding more detail and more emotion. It is critical to know success from a distance and up close.

b. If you find that you are not progressing on this front, explore the reasons why you’re not. Lack of progress here, could mean that this goal is something you think you should do, rather than something you are excited and willing to do.

c. If you are not energized by what success looks like, the probability that it will happen, in my experience, is very, very low.

If you really see the win, all this is no big deal

Yes, doing all of this will require some big changes and some fairly tedious activity. No big deal if you are really committed and if you really intend to achieve the goal. All this works. In my experience, most of the alternatives just don’t work — reliably.

Wishful thinking or a committed goal?

For most people, if they don’t do something a lot like what I have described here, their goals turn out to be a lot of wishful thinking, rather than real goals.

So now you have the “gearbox” of a new future

You just need to turn the engine on and push the gas pedal. This “gearbox” process will force you to drop the stuff that is not really, really important to you. It forces you to get real and get simple. The simple get’s done and the complex kills.

What will you do?

I want you to get what you really, really want in your business and your life. Who really gives a rip about day-dreams. Now the choice is yours: Get busy, or get ready to accept whatever your normal and comfortable pattern in life will bring you in 2008.

Cheers,

Eric

Loss vs. Gain

2008-01-29T12:13:00.000-08:00

What works best to get action? Loss, gain, or something else?

Playing on loss or gain too transparently, at times, just seems too crude and blunt an instrument for use in professional sales and marketing. What to do?

You really don’t care, do you?

As long as qualified people respond, and enough go the distance for you to achieve your objective of getting new and incremental business, you probably don’t care, do you? And like you, I want be proud of what I do, and how I do it.

On one hand…

Imagine that a neighbor wakes you in 3:00 A.M. in the February darkness to tell you that Home Depot is giving away a gas barbeque to the first 25 people to open a credit card account at their new location near you. You would probably think the neighbor was crazy.

On the other hand…

Imagine this same neighbor wakes you in 3:00 A.M. in the February darkness to tell you that you left your garage door open, and a couple of teenagers are wheeling your gas grill out of your garage. You might thank the caller, dial 911, or grab a baseball bat and head for the garage.
Same gas grill; different feelings

The physical feeling of loss is dramatically different from the pull of potential gain. This is how your targets feel. Use it carefully.

OK, so you made your point

The psychologists tell us that fear of loss motivates action roughly two-to- three times more effectively than hope for gain. But at what price?

Is there an option for elegance and grace?

I hope so. Here is the structure of some possibilities:

“I work with (target market) who are ready to be done with (some high probability of pain for the target market), and get on with (goal or aspiration).”

“I help (target market) people who want (goal) without (target market pain) as a downside.”
We help (target market) fix (cure, reduce, avoid, remove, stop, etc.) their (high-probability pain for the target market) and get (whatever it is that is desired).

We help (target market) improve (measurable element) by (percent, dollars, etc.) within (some specific time frame).

We help (target) who aren’t actually in (some market pain) but who just need (type of help) to achieve (some aspiration).

And here are some examples that use the structure above:

“I work with manufacturers representatives who are ready to be done with disloyal suppliers and get on with building success with a few lucrative & loyal suppliers.”

“I help medium-sized city governments who want to have a better relationship with developers, without getting taken advantage of, as a downside.”

We help supply-chain software companies reduce their low premium service renewal rates and get the bottom line profit growth that Wall Street requires.

We help chief financial officers improve return on equity by five percent to 15 percent, within 18 months.

We help small business owners who aren’t actually in financial trouble, but who just need cash flow help to achieve the business growth that they know is possible.

You are on to me by now

The trick here is to just use both the problem and the outcome or the pain and aspiration together, without jumping up and down hard on the pain. Consider using the structures above as a starting point for your own efforts.

Testing is the real key

Whatever message you decide to use must be tested. Always build two messages (elevator speeches) and run a test. Use one at least 25 – 100 times in a row and record the results. Then try the other on as similar an audience as possible. You may be surprised that the one you like wasn’t the one that performed the best. More on testing, later.

Cheers,

The Gearbox of a Different Future

2008-01-29T11:21:00.000-08:00

The gearbox of a different future

Today, I’ll try to share with you, at a high level, what some of the experts have learned about the mechanics, or “gearbox” of getting a future different from the past. These will be practical steps you can choose to put to use starting today if you are so inclined.

Change or Die

Change or Die is the title of a book by a fellow named Alan Deutschman. It is a very good read. It essentially says that most people will choose to die instead of changing. It also covers some of the strategies that lead to real and lasting change. Under normal circumstances this might be true. “Normal” is a choice.

If you read this newsletter

You are probably one of the brave, the proud, and the few who are very committed to making each day better than the last. You already know that, “If if it is to be, it is up to me,” along with a little help from friends, family, your faith and maybe even a couple people who write the ccasionally-useful newsletter.

Relate, repeat, reframe

Deutschman’s prescription is essentially that change comes from being in a firmly-supportive relationship that demands new behavior, supporting repetition, and gaining new perspective (reframing). In short: new hope, new skills, and new thinking. I’ll get to some practical pplications of this, and more, in a bit. Please keep reading.

So what’s missing?

In my opinion, lots. There is more research and more experience in getting change to happen that is not covered in Change or Die. Here are the bullet points covering some of what
might be missing:

Clear and precise intent (that is, an
authentic and passionate goal)
Goal agreement
Aligned commitments
Twice daily visualization
Having a basic recipe and then adjusting as
you go
Daily progress recording or writing in a
journal
Knowing what success looks like

Let’s get to the “gearbox”

To give you the “gearbox” that leads to a new
future will simply require that I expand on the seven points above.
You then can choose if you wish to put them into action in your
life. The items covered below are the things that, if not dealt
with, often derail change efforts.

(By the way, this is one of those checklists I promised you.)

Let’s get after it:

Clear and precise intent (that is, an
authentic and passionate clear goal)
2. Goal agreement
3. Aligned commitments
4. Twice daily visualization
5. Have a basic recipe and then
adjust as you go
6. Daily progress-recording or
journal writing
7. Knowing what success looks like

If you really see the win, all this is no big deal

Yes, doing all of this will require some big changes and some fairly tedious activity. No big deal if you are really committed and if you really intend to achieve the goal. All this works. In my eperience, most of the alternatives just don’t work — reliably.

Wishful thinking or a committed goal?

For most people, if they don’t do something a lot
like what I have described here, their goals turn out to be a lot of
wishful thinking, rather than real goals.

So now you have the “gearbox” of a new future

What will you do?

Proper expectations can take the stress and discouragement out of marketing and sales

2008-01-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

The two things to get right in business

Recently, someone faxed me a 37-point list of
things that cause business failure. As usual, the inability to
market and sell reliably and effectively was right at the top of the
list. Plus, it carried this admonishment: “If you don’t get these
two right, nothing else on this list really matters.”

If I had to pick just three things that are most responsible
for success

I was discussing this list with a friend in the
banking business when he asked me what I thought were the top four
things that he should tell his customers to attend to about sales
and marketing. I gave it some thought, and decided I would share my
recommendation with you today.

Four things, plus a critical realization

As I pondered my friend’s question, I remembered
a long ago realization that had changed my results and my life in
marketing and sales. Here are the top three success factors in
marketing and sales, in my opinion, followed by that critical
realization.

Define a goal
Pick your target
Build your offer
Manage your conversion table

Define a goal

The goal simply defines the gap between the
situation today, and what you want to achieve in the future.
Everything that follows is relevant only to the extent that it
closes the gap between your condition today and the goal. If you
have no goal, it is hard to have a gap between today and where you
want to be. With no goal, you probably don’t need to worry about the
other three strategies.

Pick your targets

Some call this list of targets your “ideal
customers.” In direct marketing, where everything is measured, we
know that picking the right target and target list often accounts
for up to 70 percent of the success or failure of a marketing and
sales effort.

Build your offer

This is the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) from the
client’s perspective. Nine of ten offers I hear are way short of
what they could be. The offer accounts for up to 20 percent of the
success rate. (We give you the science and art of a great offer in
the Marketing Fast Track course, starting January 21st.)

Manage your conversion table

By this, I simply mean track your numbers so that
you can test and improve. It also means rigorously sticking with an
offer for some period of time, or number of attempts, until you have
a good idea about what needs to be changed to improve performance.

The long ago realization

When I was eight years old I won my first sales
contest selling newspaper subscriptions in my little town of 2,000
people in the mountains of the Oregon Coast. Initially, I was very
discouraged by this until I realized that for every 10 doors I
knocked on, I got one subscription.

Pure magic; I could always see
the light at the end of the tunnel: I was encouraged; not even
remotely discouraged.

Once that fact settled into my young brain, I
practically ran from door to door, asking people to buy. The more
doors I knocked on, the better my results. I won the contest by a
wide margin.

The implication

Working the three things above is one of the
major keys to marketing and sales success in any business, anywhere
on this earth, in my opinion.

The other big realization was that each type of
offer has its own hit ratio.

Cold drinks after a 5K run on a sunny day are
probably a one-for- one. Everybody will take you up on the
offer.
Life insurance, to new parents, has a hit
rate very different from life insurance close rates for single,
50-year old bachelors who work the graveyard shift at
convenience stores.
Selling stocks and bonds via phone in a lower
income Zip Code is quite different from working referrals from a
CPA or a lawyer in a high-income Zip Code.

Knowing what to expect: seeing the light
at the end of the tunnel

My real point here is for you to determine what
to expect so that you can: 1) get enough targets to work through, so
that you; 2) know how many no’s you’ll likely get before you get
another yes.

Make more and work less via testing the market
and message

Once you know roughly what the appointment and close rates will be;
when you have gathered enough targets; when you are disciplined in
working through the list, you are in a spot to start testing
strategies to optimize your conversion table.

Optimizing simply means that you make refinements
so it takes fewer calls to get the sale.

A sample conversion

Calls - 1,000 - 100%

Connect with target - 250 - 25% of total calls

Interested - 25 - 10% of connects

Appointment now - 5 - 20% of interested

"Not now, maybe later" - 10 - 40% of interested

Sale - 2.5 - 10% of interested

This is just a hypothetical example. Your conversion table will
serve you best if it reflects your actual process and if it is
simple enough that you will use it daily. Action is always the key
ingredient that only you can provide.

I help most of my consulting clients do the three things
above

One client quit trying to sell to everyone. She elected to serve
only the top 10% of Zip Codes (in terms of net worth) in the USA.
She also decided to work only with targets that have already had a
certain level of financial success in life.

The impact

My client’s close rate zoomed to about 80 percent, and her
revenue went up 144 percent, along with her confidence and self
esteem. I brought the plan and she brought the execution.

If you can wisely:

Set your goal

Pick your targets

Build your offer

Manage your conversion table

You too should have a good shot at making more, while working the
same or less. You should also be able to enjoy the fact that you can
always see that light at the end of the tunnel.

To your success in 2008.

An easy rule for 2008: The simple gets done; complexity kills

2008-01-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

An easy rule for 2008: The simple gets done; complexity kills

If you can give me two or three minutes today, I will give you some insights that will help you make more, and give you the option to work less. Read on if this interests you.

What is Occam’s Razor?

“All other things being equal, the simplest solution is usually best.” This is also known as Occam’s (sometimes spelled “Ockham’s”) Razor, a maxim from a 14th century English logician named William of Ockham. This razor is still sharp after more than 700 years of steady use.

So why did I bother with the other 80 percent?

The 80/20 rule is also known as the Pareto Principle. The rule suggests that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your activities. For me it seems that it is usually the 95/5 rule. So why do we bother with the other 80 percent?

The simple gets done

The bonus of the two rules above is that the simple things get done, while the complex ones are ignored. At least, by me and most folks I know. In all this, action is the key. The only difference between the top and bottom performers is (on average, and in my observation), the action taken or not taken.

Action + now = WOW

Pick the best few and consider making a choice to take action now.

Start, stop & how

With the above in mind, consider taking five minutes and asking yourself the following three question:

What did I accomplish last year? Name the top 3 things.
What disappointed last year? Name the top 3 things.
What am I going to do differently this year? Name up to 3 things.

A simple challenge for 2008

If you can take action on just two or three of the items below, I’ll bet your 2008 will be dramatically wealthier, healthier and happier than your 2007 was, no matter what the economy does.

Get your goals written and look at them twice a day, every day, for the rest of the year. See below:
Build and maintain a target list of ideal customers you want to do business with.
Get your elevator speech down and know exactly what you want to say after your prospects say, “Tell me more.”
Get clear on a simple sales process that reliably yields closed sales.
Become clear on how to get the second sale over and over again with your customers; it’s really the only one that matters.
Understand how to get paid what you and your offering are worth.
Understand how to manage your activities to achieve your goals.
Have fun doing the above. This is actually the most important of all. If you aren’t having fun, you won’t stay with it. Pay close attention to this one. After all, it’s the only life you have by my observation.

As you read this newsletter in 2008, I’ll help you on each of the eight items above. Yes, even the fun part, this year.

Remember the 80/20 rule

If you just nailed two or three of the above, I suspect you would have a banner year. Do them all, and I suspect you will be on top of the world.

My friend, Bob Proctor, of The Secret

Many years ago my friend, Bob Proctor, got married. His new wife sold insurance. Bob is a famous productivity guru and all-around great guy. Bob married for love; his wife was not doing well in the insurance business, as I recall, when they married.

Just try this one thing, Honey

The new Mrs. Proctor asked Bob, “How can I be more successful, Mr. Guru?” Bob said, “Just be in front of one new prospect every day, by 10 A.M., and ask that prospect to buy, no matter what.” She said, “Is that all?” Bob said, “That’s it.”

Simple

Sounds like something simple that could actually be done.

Simple execution = WOW

The new Mrs. Proctor’s sales increased more than 10 times in the next 12 months, because she followed these simple instructions, according to what Bob told me.

Now the ball is in your court

So what are the one to three simple things you will do differently this year that could help you put the 80/20 rule to work in your life?

Remember; the simple gets done while complexity kills. Keep it simple and get it done!

To your success in 2008.

Eric

PPS: The Marketing Fast Track “Mafia Offer” Class is quickly filling up. This is the last open-enrollment class I intend to do. All future classes will be aimed strictly at industry verticals, such as insurance, real estate, manufacturers reps, legal, etc. To learn more about the Marketing Fast Track Class and how to take advantage of the "Mafia Offer" click here.

Simple Plan for a Powerful 2008

2007-12-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Succeeding in Business helps performance and commission-dependent individuals and leaders of organizations that are seriously committed to enhancing their ability to make more money, while working less.

A simple request; please pass this edition around to folks you care about. If appropriate, ask them to sign-up for the newsletter at www.succeedinginbusiness.com.

Just a few days left

2007 has just a handful of days left in it. I want to encourage you to take a few minutes to examine the past 12 months and get ready for the year ahead. I am going to share with you an outline of a process I use with my clients. We’ll use it to build on the lessons of 2007 to make 2008 a powerful year.

Consider a quick look in the rearview mirror

I’ll hold onto the steering wheel while you look back. I am confident that each of you did the best possible under the circumstances that your life, your industry, and your business threw your way this year. But consider taking a look back to count up your blessings, think about the lessons you learned, and your new insights. Then, think about the things that you don’t believe will serve your purposes in 2008.

Three minutes worth of notes that could be worth thousands to you

Consider the power of writing these items down today, and looking at them a couple of times over the next few days. If you are like me and my clients, you will likely add and subtract, with each quick review. For many, this little exercise is worth thousands.

Now, look down the road with X-ray vision

Next, I want to ask you to consider an unusual process for setting some goals for next year:
First outline your values; bullet points will do. By values I mean things like:

1. Power is the desire to influence others.
2. Independence is the desire for self-reliance.
3. Curiosity is the desire for knowledge.
4. Acceptance is the desire for inclusion.
5. Order is the desire for organization.
6. Saving is the desire to collect things.
7. Honor is the desire to be loyal to one's parents and heritage.
8. Idealism is the desire for social justice.
9. Social contact is the desire for companionship.
10. Family is the desire to raise one's own children.
11. Status is the desire for social standing.
12. Being Competitive, aka Vengeance is the desire to get even.
13. Romance is the desire for sex and beauty.
14. Eating is the desire to consume food.
15. Physical Activity is the desire for exercise of muscles.
16. Tranquility is the desire for emotional calm

(Taken in whole from Steven Reiss's book, Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities. Berkley Press 2002.)

Court of law?

If you had to prove what you were committed to in 2007, would there be enough evidence to convict you? One way to really tell is to simply look at your calendar and your checkbook. That is where action meets reality. No evidence means you might be dealing with wishful thinking. Just check it out; at least tell yourself the truth.

Relationships: the gold before and after the money

Next, outline the relationships you have, and the one’s you are committed to keeping and developing further in 2008. For me, this is simple and goes something like this:
· My maker
· My wife
· My two sons; Alexander (age 15) and Zachary (age 9)
· My 78 year old mother, Pat Albertson
· My in-laws
· A couple of dozen close friends
· My current clients
· The readers of this newsletter and my other newsletter (www.performanceleadershipgroup.com)

Consider letting some relationships gently drift into the sunset

I am also going to make a conscious decision to let some relationships, which no longer align with my values, go. I have kept them alive for historical reasons but I find that I can no longer be true to my values and other commitments by continuing to invest in these relationships.

Three times seven equals 21 bullet points that can change your life

Finally, I will outline just 3 goals that I want to accomplish in 2008, in each of the following buckets:

· Family
· Finance
· Fitness
· Friends
· Future
· Faith
· Fun

The simple long and short of it

In each of these, I will simply have a short term goal (30 days), a mid- term goal (90 – 120 days), and a long-term goal (180 days to 360).

Simple, but it needs action now

Nothing fancy. The key is to do it. Write it all down, by this Friday, if you can.

Two five-minute previews of your new reality

From there, the key is to look at this list twice a day for the next 12 months. This is the second most important part of this email: Look at the goals twice a day, every day, for the next 12 months.

The most important part is a two-part beasty

First, make sure that the things you write down are things you really feel passionately about, and can visualize in detail, like they are already fully accomplished.

Part two of the beasty

Second, and this is very unusual in my experience: Just tell yourself that these things would be very nice to have happen, but are simply a choice that you and your subconscious mind have the option of bringing into reality. It is nothing that you must do.

Leverage your super-computer while you sleep

Now, each night before you hit the sack, review the list (I keep mine next to my bed in a plastic sleeve) and ask your brain to work on one thing standing between you and one of your objectives.

All of the above are about setting up for new action

The key to a 2008 that exceeds 2007 is simply taking new actions. I like to ask myself, “What action can I take right now to move toward my goals and dreams”?

Name any hero you have

The only difference, in most cases, between your hero and you, is the actions they take and have taken so far in life. If you can dream, write, and take actions, you can have a powerful reality in 2008.

That’s it. Simple & sweet. Best of all, it works.

Cheers,

Eric

PS: If one of your goals for 2008 is producing more revenue, consider taking my Marketing Fast Track course. Many of my past clients boosted their incomes by 10 percent, with a few getting well past 100 percent, last year. Your mileage will vary. For more information on the Marketing Fast Track program, you can go here. To sign up directly, go here.

PPS: Alternatively, if you want to get more margin/profit out of your current flow of business, consider taking our Margin Boost course, starting January 17th. For more information on the groundbreaking Margin Boost program, go here. To register for this powerful and profitable program, go here.

PPPS: Last week, I mentioned that I had sent 100+ letters per week and that it had worked very well for getting people to call me and asking me to tell them more. I also related that it only worked for a while, and then quit working.

The rest of the story

At the time, I didn’t know why it quit working. It was to be years before I could accurately diagnose the problem. The years between then and now, left me with lots of scar tissue. With luck, I can help you avoid that result.

Direct marketers know this story

Essentially I had committed many of the basic sins in direct marketing but didn’t know it. Here are the sins:

1. Once I ran out of targets like people who had already purchased from me, I just started sending my letters to any name and address that looked like possibilities. Spray and pray. I had not taken the time to build a good list.

2. I didn’t take the time to validate the list. After the initial blast, I used a purchased list of targets from a local company. The list was old and largely inaccurate. Essentially, the person I wanted was no longer at the address and the mail was either tossed or “returned to sender.”

3. I treated everyone the same. I didn’t really understand why people were buying what I sold. My letters addressed only one problem. I didn’t mention the other problems my offering would address. I just thought that they would figure it out. Now, I know that they never do.

4. I had a poor call to action. I asked folks to call me. Most people don’t want to talk to a salesman right off the bat, unless the need is pressing. I needed to offer a low-risk way for them to get more information without talking to me, the sales guy.

5. I didn’t follow-up with a phone call in a reasonable amount of time. If they didn’t call me, I didn’t call them. Pretty stupid.

The fix is simple. Just not easy:

A. Build a list of targets. Break it into groups of sub-targets that look similar to each other. For example, you can segment by revenue, age, income, title, industry and so on. Whatever makes sense in your business.

B. Have somebody call through the list and just verify the business name, address, target name and role (if it is a business-to-business situation). Most lists that you can purchase are at least 50 percent bad. According to Dunn and Bradstreet (one of the largest sources of market data in the world), lists go bad at a two percent to five percent per month from the time of initial creation. Old lists are usually bad lists.

C. Tune your message for each segment of your list. Lawyers likely care about different aspects of your offer than doctors or retail establishments might. Think about the problem the target group has, and talk about how your offer makes that problem go away.

D. Create a low-risk call to action. Build a “no cost” report telling your prospects about how to make a good decision when buying what you sell. You can also list a phone number that they can call to get free information. You can include a postcard that they can return to get more no-obligation information. You can suggest that they call a customer service rep for more information. You are only limited by your imagination.

E. Build a plan to follow up with each target at least three times via the phone. Some targets are worth up to five attempts via phone. Most are not. Let your experience be your guide.

F. Record, on your list, what they tell you, so you can leverage what you learn the next time you reach out to that specific target.

Is all of this worth it?

I regularly meet with sales managers and senior sales executives from a wide variety of industries. These executives tell me that most of the top performers do one of two things:

· They have a methodical system of some kind
· They have, and maintain, a great network

These executives tell me that the folks who don’t have one or both of the two approaches above, quit, get fired, work too much, and make less than is possible.

Reprint Permission: If you like this article, feel free to share it with your own list, post it on your site, post it on your blog, or add it to your autoresponder. As long as you leave it intact and do not alter it in anyway. All links must remain in the article. Just include:

"Reprinted with permission from Eric Albertson's SucceedingInBusiness.com Newsletter.(Copyright, 1998-2007, Eric Albertson, SucceedingInBusiness.com.)"

12/03/07 - Why multiplication is critical to the size of your bank account

2007-12-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

Word Count: 1,657
Time to Read: 5 minutes

Who else thinks selling can be tiring?

After selling for 10 years I started to get really tired. I had made lots of money, lots of friends and had lots of fun. I could almost predict what every client would do before they did it. But I was still getting very, very tired. And I wasn’t making all that much money, really, for the toll the selling was taking on me, my family and my life.

There had to be a better way.

Kissing Frogs – Lots of them

Making real money always seemed to mean that I had to kiss lots of frogs to find the prince or princess with the money who wanted to buy now.

There had to be a better way.

You call this help?

I had worked for some wonderful companies. Sometimes the services and products were good, sometimes they stunk. Whatever the service or product was that year, the company, at best, would rent a hotel room, tell us all about it in one breath, and “assign” our quota in the next breath and then put us on the street to sell.

God helps him who helps himself, so they say

At worst, they had a conference call and mailed a brochure. And then they said, “Get busy.” I soon realized that these lame meetings and sponsorships of events is what my company thought of as “marketing.” That wasn’t the marketing I needed. The only marketing that was going on was being done by me (if I wanted to make any sales.

There had to be a better way.

At first, it was a dead end

I went into sales management. But I quickly figured out that my being in sales management just gave me the average of what my sales team could do. That was not the answer I was looking for. Sales management did not give me the leverage I was seeking.

There had to be a better way.

Higher math

One day I read in a book by David Ogilvy (Ogilvy on Advertising) that advertising (also known as marketing) is nothing more than salesmanship, multiplied. My first thought was, “I can do this.” Since I already knew how to sell, I just had to figure out a way to add the multiplication.

Paper multiplication

While nothing is perfect, this little insight allowed me to put on paper what I was doing in my most successful sales efforts. At first it was not pretty. but it worked. The time I put into cold-calling started to drop, and my sales volume started to climb. Yipee.

Just hit copy on the old Xerox machine

All I was doing was writing a personal letter to the prospect about something that I thought they cared about. This was more than 20 years ago, and my writing stunk. I wrote one letter and copied it on the Xerox machine. I used a pen to write in the target’s first name.

Perfection not required

While I was doing many things wrong, I was also doing a couple of things right. I was hitting on a pain, problem or aspiration that many of the targets had. I was letting them know about others like them who were using the service and product I had, and I was building their confidence that I could get the same results for them that I had gotten for the others.

This was a better way…kinda.

Write once, send many times

The better way is that I simply sent 100+ of these letters each week. Nothing fancy. After I dropped the letters in the mailbox, I went on about my business of doing my job the regular way.

Making the phone ring

Pretty soon the phone started to ring. At first it rang a little. Then it rang a little more. In a few weeks, it seemed to ring all the time. Everyone essentially said, “Tell me more.”

Qualified and interested is a beautiful thing

Many of the people who called were a relative snap to close. I made lots of money and thought I was brilliant.

Nothing worse than a quiet phone

Pretty soon, however, the phone almost quit ringing. I was still sending the 100+ letters every week. Despite that, my sales slowed to a trickle. What went wrong in my effort to multiply my sales effort? I’ll tell you next week, December 10th, why this letter quit working and what I could have done about it then, had I known)

There is a much better way…really.

What I didn’t know was hurting me

Back then, I didn’t know. Now I do. Once I figured it out, I started helping companies of all sizes multiply salesmanship so that their actual sales people would only invest time with people who were ready, willing and able to buy what was being sold.

You are about to get something very few know about

What I was trying to do was called marketing. In this case, a very special kind of marketing that 99.99 percent of all professional marketers don’t seem to understand. If you doubt me, just read the ads in most newspapers and magazines.

Prospects into Clients

Marketing is just doing what a good salesperson does by adding multiplication via some form of media such as print. The outcome of good direct marketing is a lead that, depending on the skill of the salesperson, can often be closed successfully.

Are you game?

Are you a good salesperson or business owner who wants to put some multiplication into your sales results in 2008? Are you getting good results now? And would you like to benefit from some multiplication? Then read on.

Your ticket is in this newsletter

The recipe I am about to share with you is very, very powerful. You could study this recipe for years and get something new out of it every month of every year. You can use right now, and get great benefits by doing nothing more active than taking what’s here, and putting it into action now.

The prize inside the Cracker Jack box…er newsletter

The recipe is called marketing syntax and it was formalized by a fellow named Robert Middleton. Print this the following and keep it handy; it is your road map to connecting with prospects, clients, and anyone in your world that you want to bring around to your way of thinking.

Marketing syntax
1. Target: - Who is your ideal client?
2. Problem: What is your prospect’s issue or challenge?
3. Outcome: What result or outcome would they prefer?
4. Story (Proof): Stories or case studies that tell about moving from problem to outcome.
5. Benefits: What’s everything clients get when they work with you?
6. Credibility: What qualifies you to do what you do?
7. Process: What do you actually offer and how does it work?
8. Call-to-Action: What do you want them to do next?

Seems simple until you look closely

When I introduce this to new corporate clients, I warn them not to be put off by its simplicity. What you see above is the tip of the iceberg; an iceberg well beyond the size of the one that sank the Titanic.

Application is the key

In some of my corporate workshops we will spend two full days going over the various aspects of marketing syntax, and then applying it to their situation. Once they have applied this recipe, sales almost always climb. No application equals no results.

Looking back will make you ill

As they begin to grasp the power of this outline, my clients almost always tell me how will they are about the dopey messages they have created in the past (usually a bunch of nonsense full of Me! Me! Me!), and how excited they are about a new future using marketing syntax.
Are you ready to put marketing syntax into action?

Sit down with the recipe above. Map out an ideal client (size, industry, etc.). Jot down the most pressing problem this ideal client group typically has, and then write down the outcome that you, your service or product provide.

A brief story

Follow that with a very concise story about how another client with the same problem has achieved a similar outcome.

A few benefits

Next, jot down three to 10 incremental benefits that the ideal client might get in addition to the main one.

Now, jot down a sentence or two about what makes you or your company qualified to deliver this solution. Follow that with a couple of points about how the process of getting the outcome works, from the clients perspective.

Finally, write down what you want the client to do next. That may be to buy, go to lunch with you, or join you on a phone call. You decide.

This won’t be pretty at first.

Read it out loud. Adjust it. Read it aloud again. Make your adjustments in writing.
When it is in reasonable shape, take it to a couple of friendly current customers and get their feedback. Again, make the adjustments your clients have suggested.

If you build it (with marketing syntax) they will likely come

If you have done all this, you are now on your way to multiplying your ability to sell, and your ability to generate a better income in 2008.

The guided tour starts January 7th

If you want to take the guesswork out of this process, you can enroll in my next Marketing Fast Track program that starts January 7th. Each Monday for 8 weeks, we will offer the class twice (once at 7:00 A.M. and once at 4:00 P.M. Pacific Time. This dual presentation will allow people in Europe, Australia and New Zealand to participate at times of the day that are reasonable for them. The class will cover the full process of gaining salesmanship multiplication (also known as marketing). You can sit in on either occurrence of the class (or both, if you want to).
If you do the work, you may find that you have a dramatic new capability to connect with your market; to convert it to revenue and commissions that exceeds anything you have ever seen before.

An MP3 for later listening

All sessions are recorded for later listening. If you have to miss a class, you can still listen to the MP3 at your convenience.

Just remember…

On your own, or in the class, marketing syntax is your key to salesmanship multiplied.

All the best,

Eric
eric@succeedinginbusiness.com
503-635-2319

PPS: What does ART have in common with RAT and TAR? You got it right. They all have the very same letters. Marketing syntax puts your message in the right order to be heard. If you don’t use the order above, you might get stuck in the TAR with a RAT, instead of producing some fine ART. Check out the Marketing Fast Track program, starting January 7th if you aren’t fond of TAR and RAT in your business.

11/26/07 - The top performaers deal in proof

2007-12-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

Word count: 942
Time to read: 3 minutes

How do the top performers win more often than everyone else?

(A simple change you can make immediately that will enhance your results for the rest of your life.)

How to tell?

The world is full of hype, exaggeration, and other nonsense. Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes, how would you decide?

A matched set is the key

This is so simple and so rare. You address the “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) from the client’s point of view and then you prove it in no uncertain terms. Like the furniture in a 1960’s living room, you deliver a matched set; a promise and a proof.

Marketing Syntax

If you are a frequent reader of this newsletter, you know that I frequently discuss marketing syntax. This is the order of things in a communication that gets and holds clients’ attention and helps them believe. And it gets them into action.

A key to survival in modern life

Being able to persuade and influence is a key to successful living in modern times. To get anywhere, we must be able (reliably) to get another peoples’ attention, hold that attention until we can make our case, and then get them to take action on our behalf. Getting this done starts with understanding what the other person wants (WIIFM).

Me-me-me-meeeeee

Talk about me-me-me all day long and ignore the WIIFM and you are, to most folks, irrelevant.

Only a good start

In our rough and tumble world, talking to the WIIFM is only enough to get a very brief listen. To hold the attention long enough to get somewhere, you need one more little thing…

Matched set redux

Becoming a master of the WIIFM in your client’s world and the associated proof that you can reliably deliver the WIIFM is a key to both financial success and life success. Talk to the WIIFM and prove you can deliver: Life is very good. Can’t prove you can deliver? Life is tough.

The story

14 years ago my wife and I sat in our living room listening to yet another remodeling company blather on about the materials they used, their years in the business, and the beauty of the finished product. All this capped by the high pressure close.

At the time, I traveled three to four weeks out of every month. My wife, Caroline, stayed home with our six-month old son, who had yet to sleep through the night. Caroline had some other health issues that made her very tired (as if a traveling husband and baby were not already enough).

Both of us were bleary-eyed and sick of hearing the same old stuff from each of these contractors. Every contractor sounded the same. Finally a young lady from one of the contractors came in, took one look at us and said, “I bet you folks would like to just go to bed tonight and wake up and have this project all done wouldn’t you?”

In unison we said, “Yes.” Next, she whipped out a string of quotes and photos of families. Each quote basically said how easy it had been, how fast it had been and how smooth it had been. We were sold.

The sales person also gave us a long list of folks we could call to confirm her points, and then told us that we would hear from her every Friday on the phone, or at the house, so she could make sure everything was going according to plan.

She listened

The first key was that she listened and asked questions. She didn’t make us feel like idiots.

She observed

We must have looked like a couple of wrecks. Our son was wiggly. The dishes weren’t done.

She turned it into a sale using proof

She gave us piles of proof; testimonials, quotes, pictures of happy families, notes from customers, and a list of people we could call. Finally, she simply guaranteed, in writing, that we would get what we had asked for at a specific price and within a specific time.

Easy to do?

Probably not. I found out later that she was the number one salesperson in her company by a very large margin.

Worth doing?

Ten years later I ran into her and asked her what her secret had been. She said she just treated everyone the way she wanted to be treated. I also asked her what she was doing now. She told me she was retired. She had just turned 40.

Anything else?

When I heard her say that she had just retired, I had to ask again about her secret. She said that there was one other thing: Because she had always looked young in a man’s business, she felt that she had to use lots of proof that she could perform, so folks would take her seriously.

Story is the easiest, and often, most compelling proof

In the Marketing Fast Track program, we show you many different ways you can build proof elements for any product or service. Perhaps the most important is the proper construction of a concise story. If done correctly, and in the proper place, a good story is all the proof many need.

A shot of high proof

No matter what service, product, or combination you might sell, proof that it will work, and work well, in the client’s situation is the key to the sale. Start with client’s WIIFM, and then add the proof. In no time you will be on your way to far more results — in business and in life.

Cheers,

Eric

PS: I help clients in all sorts of businesses (insurance, consulting, law, manufacturers reps, printers, landscapers, software, technology services, engineering, real estate, commercial real estate, builders, financial planners, CPA’s, remodeling and designers). Here is a little “Thanksgiving” proof I got this past week from a happy graduate of the Marketing Fast Track program:

The Marketing Fast Track program provided a systematic way to develop marketing methods and messages that focused on what the CLIENT gets, versus the standard me-me-me marketing done by most. We've totally changed our marketing messages and the changes have resulted in higher sales and lower marketing costs.

The best testimonial on the MFT system was received recently from a new client of ours that responded to one of our new ads created with the MFT formula and methods. She said, "Your ad just spoke to me. I thought you were talking directly to me. That is EXACTLY how I felt. My husband said to tear out the ad and call those folks." She and her husband have since become very good customers.

Our new ads using the MFT methods and formula have been working so well that even in the current housing recession (some say depression) we have been able to increase sales while spending less advertising dollars.

— Jeff Jones, President
Interior Expressions Design Showroom
(520) 275-9368
(520) 275-9368
Jeff@InteriorExpressionsAZ.com
1171 E. Rancho Vistoso Blvd Suite 131
Oro Valley, AZ 85755

11/20/07 - Tit-for-tat aka reciprocity; it makes the world go round

2007-12-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

Word Count: 876
Time to Read: 2-3 minutes

A good trade

“Tit for tat” is also known as reciprocity. I give you something, and you give me something back. A willing mutual exchange.

A key to getting ahead at all levels

Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People and Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, both rely on the power of reciprocity in their advice on how to get ahead.

Good question

This is for a very good reason: tit-for-tat (or reciprocity) works. So why is it so infrequently used?

Rinse and repeat

Who knows why tit-for-tat isn’t used as often as it could be. The key is for you to remember it and use it whenever you feel it is appropriate. For most of us, reciprocity may be reasonably used practically every day. Like shampoo.

Tit for tat example: Bob Hanley (http://bobhanley.com/) is an outstanding ACT! consultant who can help almost anyone get more done in less time. He has the patience of Job. Bob wanted five minutes out of my very busy schedule. After a couple of call attempts, he sent me a greeting card with a $10 Starbucks card. I called him back the next day.

Makes the world go around

Human beings have survived through all time by playing tit-for-tat with each other. At some very basic level, we know that things will not go well for us if we don’t play it at some point. Some would even say that tit-for-tat is what keeps our society civil.

One of the laws of persuasion

As soon as someone does something for us that seems even remotely reasonable, we are on the hook. If they keep doing nice things, sooner or later, most of us must respond. Maybe this is why Robert Cialdini covers it in his wonderful book on persuasion: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Like gravity, it applies to everyone

If the tit-for-tat is done reasonably, responsibly, and with some grace, you can connect with almost anyone, get along with almost anyone, and sell almost anyone. If done well, everyone smiles the whole way.

Tit for tat example: Tom Lambert from a large and rapidly growing janitorial services company named Service Point (http://www.srvcpoint.com/), has his telemarketers call their target market to do a “green maintenance” survey, with the offer to trade the survey result totals for taking the survey.

The relevance hook

The trick is to be relevant. In the example above, Tom Lambert knows that being “green” is rapidly becoming an issue that building managers must deal with. He also knows that they will be curious about what their peers are doing. This function of surveys will work for almost anyone in any industry, if you are relevant.

Losing it in the rough

People like to have fun. Most executives who play golf don’t do as well as they would like. But, give them the latest golf book and a couple of sleeves of balls to hit into the rough, and you can connect:

Tit for tat example: A computer services company calls senior executives and offers to exchange a few sleeves of Nike golf balls and the latest golf advice book in exchange for completion of a 15-minute survey. The bulk of the targets reached directly, or through their assistants, agree to take the survey. The company that does this, does not want me to publish its name.

Dial it in and leverage it for years to come

Another trick is to get the balance right. Too much, and it seems like a bribe. Too little, and it’s easy to ignore. You have to be willing to experiment. Once you get it right, it should work for years with very little adjustment.

A little something between friends

In most of corporate America, a “gift” of $25 or less, can go unreported. Things costing $50 might be safe, while gifts costing north of $100 are likely to be seen as bribes. Who wants to teeter-totter with an elephant?

Irritating & stupid

For quite some time, people would send a remote control car, without the remote, to a target. The target was told that, to get the remote, they would have to meet with a salesperson. In my experience, this program was expensive and usually bombed. It didn’t pass the tests listed above.

Tell me more

The final key is to design the tit for tat so that it simply moves you into a place where you can get your message heard. A place in which the target says, “Tell me more,” or is otherwise willing to take part in a conversation.

Marketing currency

The tit-for-tat exchange that yields a sale is usually at the end of a series of interactions, and rarely at the beginning. In our “Marketing Fast Track Program,” we show you how to build marketing currency: information that you can use to buy the time, attention, and tit-for-tat, with a target, successfully.

Only at the baseball park

Never expect a home run; it usually happens only in baseball parks and in the movies.
Are you ready to go pro?

Are you ready to find out how anyone, in any business, can systematically get more business in 2008 and beyond? Sign up, today, for the next Marketing Fast Track Program, which starts on January 7th. Learn how to boost your pay check in 2008.

Have a great Thanksgiving,

Eric

11/05/07 - The magic of an opportunity gap

2007-12-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

Word Count: 717
Time to Read: 3 minutes

Beyond the solution

Mike Bosworth’s Solution Selling was, and remains, a wildly popular book. I loved it. I had hundreds of people who worked for me trained in it. It helped sell hundreds of millions in products and services. Despite all that, it doesn’t hold a candle to the power of the phrase, “What does that make possible?”

The man behind the curtain

When someone brings you a solution to a problem, consider using the magic phrase, “What does that make possible.” What you will get is the real driver behind the desire for the solution, product or service.

Instant differentiation

First, be aware that it is highly unlikely that any competitor will ever ask this question. By asking it, you will immediately be set apart from all of your competitors.

Hallowed ground

When you do ask it, be prepared to listen, and listen well. You have just been given a peek into what is really driving this prospect to act.

Are you ready to serve?

I have heard that the word, “sales,” essentially comes from the words meaning, “to serve.” When people tell you what a solution makes possible in their lives, you must ask yourself a question: Can you really serve them? Can you deliver what is needed, in whole or in part, to move them toward that which they want to make possible in their lives?

If you can serve, do it. If you can’t, walk away and live to play another day.

The surprising answer

Consider this story: I was meeting with Ross about helping his company penetrate a market niche for his software company. I asked him what penetrating that niche would make possible. Ross laid out the impact he saw, and the returns he anticipated his company enjoying for the next 10 years.

Not what I would have guessed

I hadn’t seen this possibility until Ross answered my question. I had been thinking of giving Ross a similar, but substantially different, possibility. What I was going to propose would have been all wrong.

Fast close once I understood

Given this new insight, I proceeded to ask Ross some additional questions, and we signed the agreement to work together later that week.

The win went way beyond the initial sale

I gave Ross what he wanted, and he is still a client today. I suspect he will be a client for many years to come.

Understanding is often the key factor

Recently, I asked him why he chose to do business with me, and why he was so loyal. After all, he has had options and alternatives to what I provided him. Ross told me that there were lots of alternatives for what I provided, with one exception: I understood his situation through the questions I asked, and through a willingness to listen.

Get your copy of Closing More Sales by Asking Better Questions, and begin to differentiate yourself, no matter what you sell. There is no risk. It either works for you, or we insist on refunding 100 percent of your investment in the book.

Clarity

Ross told me that when I asked, “What does that make possible,” that it was the first time anyone had ever asked him that. It took him a couple of minutes before he could choke out an answer. When he gave me the answer, he also gave himself the answer. He hadn’t really had clarity until I asked the question.

Realize the vision

Ross knew he could quit worrying about what I was selling, because now he knew that I was working to help him realize his vision. I wasn’t just selling him a product.

Sell or walk?

Clients usually know if your intent is to sell them something, or to serve them. Most clients are best-served when you ask the right questions and truly listen to the answers, and then do something that makes sense. Sometimes this means to sell, and other times it means to walk away.

How can we get started? magic words?

Ask the right questions and listen to the answers. I suspect you will begin to hear things like, “How can we get started,” on a more frequent basis. I almost never have to close, since I learned the magic of the phrase, “What does that make possible?”

Do you want to hear, “How can we get started?” more often? Don’t delay, get your copy of Closing More Sales by Asking Better Questions, and begin to differentiate yourself, no matter what you sell. There is no risk. It either works for you, or we insist on refunding 100 percent of your investment in the book.

All the best,

Eric

10/29/07 - 75 percent plus proposal close rate formula

2007-12-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

Word count: 542

Time to read: 2 minutes

Proposals that don’t close
If I had invested as much time in the stock market as I have in writing proposals I would be retired by now. Ever feel that way?

All I want for Christmas…
Is a proposal that will close. I don’t need perfection, 75% + would just be dandy.

Dang things these proposals
Janet couldn’t give it away. Here she was a young 35, dressed to the nines, great education, loved her customers and she couldn’t get more than about 25% of her proposals to close. Her husband was fed up with her devoting weekends to writing the dang things and her boss was beginning to think she was an airhead.

Proposal 911
Janet called and asked for help. If I couldn’t help her, she was going to quit; the frustration wasn’t worth it.

Better pay through a few simple distinctions
We helped Janet discover a few simple distinctions that changed everything. Practically overnight she was closing more and more of her proposals until she was north of that magic 75% close rate.

First, Janet started asking why; “why her company?, why this product and service, why hadn’t they done this earlier, why do it now?” If she didn’t get a good answer to one or more, she didn’t propose. Lesson one: if you don’t understand the why’s, you are probably going to lose.

Second, Janet started asking about the impact; “what will this mean to the buyer, the company, the sponsor, the team, etc.” Not only that, she asked what the specific impact in dollars were likely to be. Usually the target didn’t really know. Janet helped them work it out using their numbers until they got to an impact number that they agreed was real. Lesson two; buyers usually have not thought through the true impact of buying what you are selling and will need your help to do so.

Third, Janet quit trying to use the proposal to sell but rather to put in writing an agreement that had already been reached. We gave Janet a proposal format that she had to get filled out from discussions with the person at the target account who could get ink on the check (that was another little innovation – Janet was surprised to realize that at least of third of the time she actually hadn’t been dealing with a person who was responsible for solving the problem the proposal was intended to address).

No more proposal weekends
The rule was that Janet couldn’t submit a proposal until she had gotten all the details the proposal format required. If she couldn’t get the details down and in agreement with the real buyer at the target account, Janet couldn’t waste her weekend submitting a proposal.

Everyone seems to fight
Janet fought initially. Pretty soon the proposal rate started to go up. As Janet got better at following the process her close rate climbed. Now Janet closes about 90%.

Just three Ma’m
Yes, there were a few more details we covered with Janet… but if you just do the one’s in this newsletter, you should see a big improvement. Let clarity and agreement be your primary guide… and give up the wishful thinking. How many of your proposals do you really close?

Margin Boost Tune-Up
If you want to master the dynamics of building a great proposal, you have two options. The most comprehensive approach is to take our Margin Boost Class starting November 8th and running for 7 weeks. Go HERE for more detail or HERE to register. The class in $995 and is 100% guaranteed.

Mini proposal tune-up
Your alternative is to send me a blank email to eric@succeedinginbusiness.com and just put PROPOSAL in the subject line. I am putting together a two session class on building proposals that will cover the bulk of the critical components of successful proposal writing. An option for that class will be to get a proposal review for an additional charge.

Your personal ROI is the key
The key to both the Margin Boost class and the proposal mini class is that spending a little time on getting better at proposals should cut your investment in proposal writing time while giving you the tools to make a life long improvement in your ability to make more money while working less.

Cheers,

Eric

10 /18/07 - Too little time; too many tasks

2007-12-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

Succeeding in Business seems to have us always in a position of having limited time and resources, yet hundreds of tasks, to-do’s and opportunities.

The weakness that kills income

I don't know about you, but this seems to be the Achilles’ heel of most of us who are dependent on actual results to get paid.

A fast and easy fix

I recently came across a combination that is in the process of changing my life:

Here’s the process

First: Take your list of tasks and to-do's and get them all down on a single piece of paper.

Second: Rate each of them as being an A, B or C.

A = High leverage with the highest turn-around time to implementation.
B = Mid-sized projects that take planning
and thought, and could be considered
mini-projects.
C = Long-term projects that can take a long time before you see results.

Third: take only your "A" level tasks and re-rate them as A1, A2 and A3, based on the criteria you use to estimate how each one will impact your bottom line financially.

Fourth: Do this one more time, but this time, take only your A1 tasks and rate them in terms of A+, A or A-.

Fifth: Give this a hard look and get started! You can now move forward in your day and your business, knowing you are going to make the largest impact, with the most financial gain, in the shortest time.

Red-faced Caroline

Caroline tried this out and was shocked to find how few of the things she was doing in her day were actually directly impacting her financial situation. She felt sick.

A little help for the bottom-line

With the facts from the process above, in hand, Caroline got busy and hired a VA (virtual assistant). It was a stretch to afford this person, initially. Caroline showed her husband how his time was being spent versus how it should be spent, and her husband agreed (wise man). Even though it was initially a tight budget fit, they decided to hire the VA.

Love and hate affair

After a brief shake-out period, Caroline’s productivity began to soar. Not long after that, her income began, slowly, to take off. Today, things are really cooking for Caroline. The new VA not only loves doing the things Caroline hated, she is lightning-fast at it, as well.

Give me $6,000 and I’ll give you $1,200: DEAL

Caroline is now worth about $150 per hour. The VA costs about $40 per hour. Caroline’s monthly bill is only $1,200.00, while Caroline’s income is up about $6,000.00. Everybody is happy.

Call-to-Action

If you are really committed to making more, while working less, the recipe above may have a place in your life. You may also want to invest in my book, Making More While Working Less. It’s a kind of a “gimme- $97-, and-I’ll-give-you-another-$5K-or-more-every-year-for-the-next-five-years-IF-you-can-execute,” sorta deal.

All the best until next time.

Eric

10/15/07 - A simple fix for revenue shortfalls

2007-10-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Word Count: 987

Time to Read: 2-3 minutes

An innovative and quick boost to revenue

This newsletter suggests a tactic that is a good fit for any kind of professional service sales situation. Having said that, almost anyone can use this tactic to boost margin and revenue, while getting a number of additional benefits in the process.

The core message

Most of us communicate with our world through just one medium, or use just one tactic. I am suggesting here, that you use a second tactic that uses the human voice. Read on for a simple plan to put this powerful tactic to use in your life now, and check-out the example. Lets call it Fast & Simple.

Why is the human voice so important a part of the mix?

First, the human voice; yours and some of your satisfied client voices, are dramatically richer in persuasive information than just the written word.

Second, the human voice is often better than the written word at cutting through the noise and getting into the Magic 7 (Magic 7 refers to the average number of things that most human beings can focus their attention on at any given time. If you don't get someone's attention, you wont get them to do what you want them to do).

More bills than income on the horizon: the story

You probably have done great work for clients, but have gotten so busy that you let the pipeline dry up. You are now faced with a scramble to generate more revenue fast, to pay the overhead, make payroll, and keep your profits in the black.

The fix needs to be fast and simple

You are seeking something that you can do relatively fast and simply, that will get revenue and profits back in gear.

Bills first experience with fast & simple

Bill is an old friend. I love Bill. He is no sales & marketing wiz, but his service is simply amazing in the way it produces results for his clients.

Bill doesn't see the true worth of what he does as clearly as his clients

Over the last few years Bill has lost sight of just how powerful the solution he offers really is. Like most of us, we don't see our own value clearly, and, to our own detriment, deeply discount it. Bill would be the poster child for this version of marketing and sales death.

Side Note: If you are serious about increasing your net margins 5 percent to 25 percent +, please consider the Margin Boost Class, starting November 1^st. Only 20 seats are available. Marketing Fast Track graduates get 25 percent off. Contact me for details.

Too busy doing, to market

Bills sales funnel started drying up to the point that he could no longer ignore the pain and finally had to get into action.

The plan

I gave Bill a plan. He took action. The call participants reported things that they liked about Bills service that he had never known. He was blown away. He was pleased. He was delighted.

Here is the simple plan:

1. Invite four past clients to spend an hour in talking about what using your service has meant to them. Do it via a tele-seminar.* (Don't let the term, tele-seminar, put you off. I will give you a link that will make that the least of your worries.)

2. Build a list of questions that you intend to ask and get it to your four past clients well in advance, so that they can be thinking about their answers well before they have to speak.

3. Remind them of the day, hour, and details of getting on the call a couple of times prior to the call.

4. Ask a well-spoken friend to be a moderator and to pose your questions to the group. You can be on the call, but you shouldnt ask the questions. If you do, the answers wont be the same, in my experience.

5. Use the tele-seminar service or your own digital recording device to record the call. Limit the call to 30 minutes at the most.

6. Transcribe the call. It costs very little and will give you a report that you can email or send via the good old US Mail.

7. Then, when someone says, Tell me more, you can share the recording or the transcript and let your happy customers tell them more. Here is a transcription service I have used and like: http://www.virtualassistantbbss.com

Post-call reaction

After the call, Bill reported that both he and his clients, loved the experience.

Insights he never would have gotten otherwise

The clients gave Bill new insights into the problems he solved and the value they received. He can use these insights in his marketing right now. Fast & simple.

New marketing tools for next to nothing

Now, with the recording and transcript, Bill has a marketing tool that will last as long as he keeps offering the service. It comes from credible sources, who can, and do, say things about Bill and his offering that he could neither say himself, nor would he have thought to say.

Can you take action on this simple plan too?

No you have a wonderful product or service that is not getting the attention it deserves? Consider following the plan above. You may be amazed at what people are thinking about the value you deliver. If you have repeat customers, the likelihood that this will work for you is high.

To your success,

Eric

eric@succeedinginbusiness.com

(503) 635-2319

10/11/07 - Too much change can kill results

2007-10-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

tbody>

Word Count: 950

Time to read: 3-4 minutes

Human beings both love and hate change at the same time. And for good reason.

The problem

Either too much change or too little change can kill results (and damage careers and life, itself).

Ultimate outcome

A happy and rewarding career and life.

The Story

I had lunch yesterday at St. Honore Bakery in the town of Lake Oswego, Oregon. They have a counter where you can watch the bakers perform their tasks. While I was speaking with one of the bakers, he told me that, while he was already a master baker, his task at this bakery was different from any other in his career. His task was to be a fast master baker. He said that he had thought that he worked as fast as was possible until, five months earlier, he had arrived at St. Honore.

A gracious ballet

This bakery or "boulangerie," as it is called, produces some of the best baked goods that I have ever tasted. And they do it fast. All of the employees seem to be operating in a relaxed and gracious ballet of movement.

Adapt or depart: getting twice as much done…with grace

The baker I was speaking to said that the bakers at St. Honore were so graceful and efficient that they got twice as much done as he did when he first arrived. He had had to adapt or depart. He was working very hard to adapt because he loves being associated with such a fine organization that produces such a fine product.

The art of no change and little changes

The baker was finding that he had to not change the basic task of baking each day because customers would be coming to buy their bread. At the same time, he found that he had to constantly tweak his approach to the details so that he could adapt to the ballet-like speed and grace of the other master bakers.

Magic insight on the timing of change

Educators and some scientists have observed that people's brains seem to integrate new information at three-, five-, and 11-month intervals, give or take a few days. Struggle, struggle, struggle, and then, no more struggles. You've made the change.

Like a thief in the night

Sometimes you work hard, but it feels like you are not making the progress you would like. All of a sudden, it all seems to come together and you are operating at a new plateau. Life is good again, sales happen, targets respond and so on.

The confidence of knowing the pattern

Not being aware of this aspect of how your brain works can cause someone to do two things: quit too soon, and not change often enough.

The key is changing in the right place

Here is what I mean. Pick a goal or direction that aligns with your commitments in life. Know that it will take time. Innovate and test change within the theme and the basic tasks like crazy. At the same time, hold true to the overall theme long enough to allow your brain and normal experience to evolve to make life easier and better performance possible.

Getting it wrong is potential career disaster

Changing the big things too often, and failing to keep innovating in the little things, is usually a recipe for career and income disaster.

Excellence or mediocrity: the brain doesn't care

Like the baker, we may think we are masters until we are really just comfortable with mediocrity. The new performance demand may come from a job you take, or a goal you set. Regardless of where you are today, there is another level out there if you are so inclined. If you can tolerate the transition, you can be as comfortable with excellence as with mediocrity. Your brain doesn't care either way; it will adjust to anything.

The magic trick is knowing about the plateaus

Watch for those plateau's at three, five and 11 months. Often you will be in your most frustrated and irritated states just before you break out onto the plateau.

My hope for you

It is my hope for you that having this knowledge will help you know what is going on. That it will give you the faith, hope and confidence to hang on long enough for the predictable breakthrough to happen. Stay the course where you should(for stability), and change where you should(for joy, performance, delight and life).

Making more, while working less

This is the path to making more, while working less. The baker is going to produce more in a place he loves, while he works about the same number of hours. You probably have the opportunity in your life to make vastly more, while working less. As always the choice is 100 percent yours.

Call to action

Reread this article and consider buying a book to enhance your ability to step up your game. Here is a link where you can check out Working Less While Making More, and a number of other books my catalog that might help you on your way to your dreams in this short life.

All the best,

Eric

10/08/07 - Four simple productivity steps

2007-10-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Problem: You are struggling to get everything done that life demands of you.

Outcome you desire: A simple way to get it all done, keep everyone happy, make a million or two, and be the person you always thought you could, and should, be.

OK, let's get real. I personally don't think there is any magic bullet out there that can really deliver that outcome. Life is just too messy. Sorry.

You may have noticed that I don't write about productivity very often. While I am very productive, I can't say that I would ever feel that I have it down well enough to do much besides just sharing some of the tricks and tips I've learned.

I do want to share some angles you can consider that, if followed to even a moderate degree, should help you make more, while working less.

There appear to be two dominant approaches, as determined by number of books sold and seminars attended:

David Allen's Getting Things Done

Franklin Covey

You can Google both of them for more information, but here's a quick link to a current article on David Allen and Getting Things Done. It's in this month's "Wired" magazine:

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/15-10/ff_allen

Now for a third approach that will not cost you a dime and probably will work at least 75 percent as well as the two options above.

Story: Paul came to me stressed out because he suffered a significant loss in his life due to the fact that he had not been productive enough to keep all of his commitments. He had attended every time management seminar he could find, and still fell short. I shared four things with him that he claims transformed his life within 60 days.

What were those four things?

Be prepared to be underwhelmed.

Unimpressive step #1: I had him begin to keep a little bitty pad of paper in his coat pocket. He was to instantly write down any commitment he made, along with the due date and the next action required to fulfill the commitment. Paul was already a champ at keeping a big to-do list. He was just losing it when he was away from the list. The magic here was that Paul took the little notebook and did as I suggested. His wife, boss and customers were amazed by the difference.

Unimpressive step #2: I showed Paul that he had options when a request was made of him. Here are the options we discussed:

He could accept the request and make a commitment to perform by a certain date.

He could decline with or without citing a reason. This was tough, until he realized that declining was a much better deal for everybody, than making a commitment that he was unlikely to keep.

He could counter. This was the breakthrough. Paul could suggest an alternative commitment that he would be more likely to keep, given the circumstances in his life.

Unimpressive step #3: We simply had Paul get clear on what he wanted in life. He talked through his objectives with me, his wife and a couple of good friends. Just talking these through and then writing them down in the SMART format (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time- sensitive) gave Paul great clarity. So much clarity that he dropped about 40 percent of what he initially thought he was committed to as impractical, and as being a threat to what he really cared about.

Unimpressive steps #4: We got him clear on the distinction between an outcome and an action. Outcomes can't be done by you alone. Typically, actions can be done by you alone. I just asked him to always list a "next action" after each of his to-do items.

To help him do this, I reminded him that the key to going from an outcome to an action is to keep asking himself "what's possibly missing" for me to get to an action that I can take right now, to move towards achieving this goal or commitment.

Paul really didn't need anything else to boost his productivity and his happiness. He is doing quite nicely now, at making more, while working less.

One of the things I had pointed out to Paul was that he really didn't have a goal of making more, while working less. He also didn't have a clear picture in his mind of what he would do with himself when he began to make more money, but only worked three days a week. Once he worked out how he and his wife would spend the extra time together, doing things that Paul liked to do more than work, everything began to fall into place.

Call to Action: Print out this newsletter and simply follow the four "unimpressive steps".

Do this and I suspect that, over time, you will find discover what Paul discovered: The better you get at regularly keeping your word and your commitments, the better life will get, and you will get closer to fulfilling your dreams. You might even begin to make more, while working less.

I still struggle with everything listed here. I get a little better at it every week, but it is not easy. The rewards of making more, while working less, however, are very nice. You can do this.

Three cheers to you and your life,

Eric

10/04/07 - Getting heard through the noise

2007-10-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

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Today we are going to talk about Getting heard through the noise.

Word Count: 932

Time to read: 3-4 minutes

Summary

Three tactics that anyone can use to cut through the noise and get heard on their way to making more, while working less.

The pain

Recently a reader named Joan called with this complaint: "I
can't seem to cut through the noise out there, to get my target market's attention and get them to say, 'Tell me more, enough times to make my new numbers. What can I do?" (Joan is a financial advisor in a large metro area.)

The desired ultimate outcome

I asked her what her goal was that prompted her to call. She said, "Reading your newsletter has helped me make more money every year since 2003. Some things have changed for me. Recently my husband was hurt in an accident and I am now the sole bread-winner in my family. I need to grow my commissions by 50% or more this year

"No matter how hard I work, I just don't see how I can do this. I just can'tseem to get past the roar created by the competition. What I really want is to change how I do things, make the money I need, and still have a life. Can you help?"

First, I shared this comment with her:

"As a new sales manager at a new company, I was able to go from last to first place, 3rd quarter, on the whole West Coast and doubled my business, using the principles I learned in the Succeeding In Business Marketing Fast Track program. Certainly I added skill, hard work and motivation. The Marketing Fast Track showed me how to build a message that gets people to say, "Tell me more." From there, I can convert them to sales."

~Kim Bishop
Sales manager
http://www.employee-benefits-custom-designed.com/

What did Succeeding In Business suggest Joan do to get results like Kim got? This was a challenging situation. Here are the issues that Joan had, the changes we suggested, and the results she is enjoying. You can do these on your own or with help from our materials or classes. (Click here to get more information if you want some help.)

Issue	Change	Result
No targeting. Joan was in the "spray and pray" business. Talking about a specific pain common to a tightly- defined target is a big key to getting heard.	Build a list of "best- customer" clients who are all similar, such as "consulting practices with $5M to $20M in annual revenues, and then target the president, CEO or owner. Call and offer a free tele-class on how other people like them were solving a common investment issue with ESOP and other investment plans.	Joan was shocked to realize she previously had less than 10% of this "best-customer" market on her target list. She was delighted when 30% signed up to hear how they could solve this problem. She had assumed that everybody already knew.
Not getting action. Joan was great at precisely describing the problems she solved, but horrible at getting targets to action. She bored people to death.	Joan quit telling her targets how she was going to solve the problem, and just talked about the outcomes she was getting for others like them.	The appointment rate more than doubled. Everyone seemed to say, "Tell me more," because she was talking about their pain and their win.
Not converting. Once they said, "Tell Me More," Joan never said the same thing twice in a row.	We had Joan share a story, and ask for an appropriate next action step, instead of blathering on about what she did.	Joan was shocked at how many people said either, "How do we get started?" or, "When can we meet to take the next step?"

Additional Benefits
As you might suspect, the material above is just a portion of the success tips that we at Succeeding in Business provided.

No surprise: Joan started getting heard, and is most of the way to meeting and exceeding the 50 percent bump she needed, to take care of her family while her husband made his lengthy recovery from his accident injuries.

Credibility

More than 5,000 financial advisors, who represent practically every major brand, read the Succeeding in Business Success Tips Newsletter each week. A member of the Succeeding In Business team has been a very successful stockbroker in the past for a major New York firm.

Call to Action

If you want some help breaking through, and want to know more about how the Marketing Fast Track program might help you, we will have a 60-minute, no- cost introductory course overview on Monday, October 8th, at 11 a.m. Pacific Time. Send me email (eric@succeedinginbusiness.com), with the words, Get Heard, in the subject line and you will be sent instructions, links, and a course guide, so you can participate in this no- cost program overview.

If you want to take action now, to make sure you get one of the 30 seats that will be offered in the last marketing course offered in 2007, you can register here. This will guarantee that you won't be left out. As always, we insist on your satisfaction, and offer a 100 percent, no- questions-asked guarantee. For more information, click here.

The rest of the story

Joan is doing great. She still fights the temptation to tell her targets
about her firm's great research and so on.

She still can't get over the fact that the problem she solved for her targets was strictly about how she would service the account, and how she would communicate, and that it had nothing to do with anything that financial services people usually talk about. Joan's mindset was the thing that changed the most.

Her targets told her that they figured rates of return would be about the same, no matter who they went with. But finding someone who could prove they understood their "unique" situations and communications needs was what carried the day.

How about you? Is this a problem you want to have?

If so, just keep reading the Success Tips Newsletter, and drop me an email if you want to listen in, when we do a no-cost Webinar about additional ways you can make more, while working less.
To your health, wealth and happiness,

Eric

Eric Albertson
Succeeding In Business
eric@succeedinginbusiness.com
503-635-2319

10/01/07 - Margin Boost

2007-10-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Succeeding In Business helps commission-dependent individuals, organizations, and leaders -- who are seriously committed to enhancing their ability -- make more money, while working less. Does that describe you? If so, read on.

Today we are covering: Margin boost

Word Count: 1,000

Time to read: 3-4 minutes

Summary: Six tactics that anyone can use to boost margins on their way to making more while working less.

The Pain: Recently, a reader called with this complaint: "What I sell has a fixed price. I don't have any opportunity to 'margin boost'." What can I do?

The desired ultimate outcome

I asked her what her goal was that prompted her to call. She said, "I have read your seven articles on margin boost and loved what you said. I just don't see how I can do it in my world, given the national insurance firm I work for (a firm like Farmers, State Farm, All State), has fixed prices for what I sell.

"I want to make more and work less so I can spend more time with my family and take better care of my health. Can you help me?

(If you want copies of the seven margin boost articles I am referring to, just drop me an email with "The Seven" in the subject line, and I will get the .PDF articles over to you via email.)

Here is the story I shared with her:

Joe worked at a Farmers Insurance Agency in a small town. He wanted to retire in five years, but was not saving enough to retire the way he wanted to retire. Add to that the fact that he was working way more than he wanted to, given his age.

We showed Joe how to make more while working less. Now Joe is gradually beginning to work just 4 days a week, while steadily making more and more money every quarter.

Joe now can easily see himself retiring in five years, in the fashion he desires, and is confident that he will work no more than two days a week his last year or two with Farmers.

What did Succeeding In Business tell Joe to do?

This was a classic situation. Here is what Joe was doing wrong that depressed his ability to make more while working less:

Issue
Change
Result

No targeting; Joe was in the "spray and pray" business. Targeting is key to margin boost.
Build a list of commercial clients who are likely to have a high net worth and approach them to buy the full profile of offerings: commercial, car, home, life, etc.
One contact with many sales and a dramatic potential increase, over time, in commissions from that one contact. Joe got a huge margin boost over his average relationship value.

Not fully using all the great services his company provided, such as low-cost direct mail.
He got together with his boss and simply started using the service as fully as possible.
His sales immediately started to trend upward.

Not setting weekly activity and results goals. Most weeks just evaporated, with nothing in particular getting done.
We established an activity plan to reach his annual goal in each category of business. Then we held him accountable each week for performance.
Sales in every product line are steadily trending upward.

Not having written down his retirement goals (including the exact date, net worth in the bank, and a detailed picture of what life would be like when he retired).
Joe, with his wife, wrote all this down. Now he reads and visualizes this goal daily.
Joe says he has never felt more energized about work each day.

Not systematically staying in touch with his current customers. He had a low "share of wallet" with his current clients, who already knew, liked and trusted him.
We created a "stay-in- touch" process that calls for Joe to make contact at least seven times a year, through a variety of inexpensive means. He also offers incremental products at least five times a year.
Joe's "share of wallet" is already climbing with his current customers.

Insufficient close rate for phone calls made.
We had Joe read, and put into action, our best selling e-Book, Closing More Sales By Asking Better Questions
Joe's close rate is steadily climbing, while his time on the phone, and number of calls to close is dropping fast.

Additional Benefits: As you might suspect, the material above is just a portion of the success tips that Succeeding In Business provided. To no one's surprise, Joe reported lots of wins after a few months of following the recipe above. What Joe said he liked more than anything, however, was the incredible sense of self-confidence and pride that he developed as a result of the process.

Credibility: We, at Succeeding In Business, have helped thousands of people in businesses from Fortune 100 members, to solo professionals, in the US, and in countries all over the world. Our Margin Boost team has a services expert who has helped service firms enjoy far greater margins for more than 10 years worldwide. Another team member is a product expert who has performed margin boost magic for the employees of companies like W.L. Gore (of Gore-Tex fame), and 3M (of Post-it-Note fame).

Call to Action: If you want to know more about how Margin Boost might help you, we will have a no-cost introductory course overview (October 11, at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time), that will last for 60 minutes. Email me (eric@succeedinginbusiness.com) with the words MARGIN BOOST in the subject line, and we'll send you instructions, links and a course guide to participate in this no-cost program overview.

If you want to take action now, to assure that you get one of the 15 seats that will be offered in this initial course, you can register here, to guarantee that you will not be left out. As always, we insist on your satisfaction and offer a 100 percent no-questions-asked guarantee.

The rest of the story:

Joe's biggest problem now, is hiring people to do the things in the agency that he shouldn't do. Most of us would agree that this is a very good problem to have. After all, we want Joe to make more, while working less.

How about you? Is this a problem you want to have? If so, just keep reading this "Success Tips Newsletter" and, if you want to listen in to the no-cost Margin Boost course overview at 1:00 p.m Pacific Time, on October 11, send me email (eric@succeedinginbusiness.com) with the words MARGIN BOOST in the subject line, and we'll send you instructions, links and a course guide, so you can participate in this no-cost program overview.

To your health, wealth and happiness,

Eric

PS: You might have noticed that I have begun inserting the structure of my newsletters in today's issue (pain, ultimate outcome, story, additional benefits, credibility, call to action, etc.). I want to help you understand how you can use the Marketing Syntax that we teach in our Marketing Fast Track: 7 Simple Steps to More Clients course. Helping everyone see how we walk our talk seemed like a good thing to do. What do you think? Drop me an email and let me know: eric@succeedinginbusiness.com

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
October 1, 2007

09/24/07 - To get what you need, stay the "magic 7"

2007-10-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Getting what you want in life often means getting in others' magic 7.

As you may recall from last week, scientists have found that most of us can give attention only to somewhere between five and 11 ideas at any given time. For most, seven different things is about what we can handle. We call those seven things "the magic 7."

I think it was Earl Nightingale who said, "We move in the direction of our currently most dominant thoughts." The magic 7 represents the currently most dominant thoughts. If you are not in your target's currently most dominant thoughts at the right time, and for a sufficient time, nothing will happen. You won't make the sale.

First, to make use of the magic 7 in your world, you might ask where do people have gaps that your offering can fill? Writing is weightlifting for marketing. Consider writing down the gap you fill, again and again, until it is clear and it aligns with gaps your target market will likely feel, such as:

Family, friends, fun, finance (cash flow today), fitness, fortune (net worth) and faith.

Or, to be more precise, consider the 16 basic drivers*:

Power is the desire to influence others.

Independence is the desire for self-reliance.

Curiosity is the desire for knowledge.

Acceptance is the desire for inclusion.

Order is the desire for organization.

Saving is the desire to collect things.

Honor is the desire to be loyal to one's parents and heritage.

Idealism is the desire for social justice.

Social contact is the desire for companionship.

Family is the desire to raise one's own children.

Status is the desire for social standing.

Vengeance is the desire to get even.

Romance is the desire for sex and beauty

Eating is the desire to consume food.

Physical activity is the desire for exercise of muscles.

Tranquility is the desire for emotional calm.

*Taken in whole from Steven Reiss's book, Who Am I; The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities. Berkley Press 2002.

When there is no gap, it is difficult to get into the magic 7. The magic 7 is mostly filled with gaps that need to be filled, such as these examples of internal conversations that the people in your target market might have:

"We can't make the cubes any smaller; we have to get more office space."

"We are making lots more money, but our bottom line is staying the same."

"My marketing doesn't seem to have an impact on our revenue at all, anymore."

"That was a near-miss on the freeway. Had I died, I am not sure that my life insurance would really get the job done for my wife and kids. What have I been thinking?"

So how do you actually get into the magic 7? The door into the magic 7 takes the form of questions related to one of the above. For example:

"I see you are growing 30 percent every year. How are you going to handle the growth in terms of office space?"

"Is your bottom line growing at least as fast, or faster, than your revenue?"

"Is your marketing 100 percent accountable? Can you run an ROI and show what every dollar does for your bottom line?"

"What will it take each year for your wife and kids to have a life you would be proud of in the event that you were to die unexpectedly?"

And so on...

If you struggle with asking questions that turn into revenue, a good starting point is our book, Closing More Sales by Asking Better Questions. Remember, everything we sell is backed by a no-questions- asked 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. This book doesn't contain a wasted word. It can help you make more money tomorrow.

When you ask a question that relates to a perceived gap (pain or aspiration), you start a conversation in the person's mind. Once that conversation starts, you are in the magic 7, but just for a moment.

Now you need to feed that conversation with a clear, powerful and realistic outcome if you want it to continue.

For example:

"We help rapidly-growing organizations who are out of space and have no time to move and get the room they need, without disrupting daily operations."

"We help rapid-growth companies increase their bottom lines faster than their revenues."

"We help companies avoid revenue stagnation and achieve growth through 100 percent accountable marketing."

"We help responsible parents make certain that they have enough of the right insurance to feel proud that they have given their kids a secure financial future no matter what."

Done correctly, the response will be: "Tell Me More." When you hear this, you know you have the opportunity to take up residence in the person's magic 7. Don't get too excited. It is just an opportunity. Nothing more; nothing less.

Now you have to find a way to stay in the magic 7 until they buy, die or refer.

The sales and marketing sales-cycle graveyard is full of sales-cycles that died right here because the marketer and sales professional had not thought through what they would say next to keep their spot in the magic 7.

Every product and service is different in terms of the number of exposures that need to be in the magic 7 to get the sale. In my experience, the vast majority of marketers and sales professionals have no idea of what to say, how to say it, where to say it, or how often to say it to be part of the magic 7 long enough to get the sale, whatever the sale might be.

So, there are two challenges at this point: 1.) How often to say it? 2.) What to say.

Here is a general perspective about how many times you might want to communicate about what you do.

Long ago, someone (I believe at Harvard or Dartmouth), did a study. Here is what they found: If you want to be "top-of-mind" when a decision is made, you must be in touch six to seven times in a 12 month period. Specifically:

After contact #1, 50% quit communicating (reaching out to the target).

After contact #2, 65% quit communicating.

After contact #3, 79% quit communicating.

After contact #4, 89% quit communicating (and the harvest of low hanging fruit began).

After contact #5, you become a factor in the prospect's mind for the first time.

After contact #6, the prospect begins to feel like s(he) knows and trusts you a little.

After contact #7, you are earning "top-of-mind" awareness for the first time.

After contact #8, you are the only person to make eight contacts sequentially

After contact #9, when your prospect is ready to buy, you have a 90 percent chance of being called.

Great Questions, and multiple contacts about a target's perceived gap get you into the magic 7 and dramatically increase the likelihood of your being considered. And getting the sale.

Equally as powerful, every internal conversation that prospects have that includes you, your message, and your branding (and is not matched by a viable competitor or alternative), increases the likelihood of your being the chosen one. Just watch Geico and Nationwide. Who do you think is winning?

The second key is what you say and how you say it, so that it is both relevant and heeded by your target.

How to craft those messages and how to get them attended to, is at the core of our Marketing Fast Track Program. Our intention with the program is to give you both the knowledge and the experience to help you get and stay in the magic 7 long enough to make your pipeline work. The intended yield is the MBA (massive bank account).

We will touch on these again in this newsletter in the months ahead. We hope these revisits will increase your knowledge. However, you will have to gain your experience on your own. Or, you can take our class, and we will help you with the experience part, too.

If you want to get the revenue and profits flowing sooner, rather than later, the Marketing Fast Track Program will take you through the elements necessary for most business people to get into, and stay in, the magic 7 of their target markets.

The next class starts October 11th at 8 am PT, 11 am ET and 4 pm GMT. I have had many requests to make it easier for the EU to take part in the class at a civilized hour of the day. Your wish has been granted. Register now.

Each session is recorded with the same equipment used by Public Broadcasting, and will be posted to a private web site along with all of the slides to support long-term learning.

I will do another Marketing Fast Track Program starting in November that will start late in my day so my thousands of readers on the Pacific Rim, including Australia and New Zealand, can participate at a civilized hour, as well. The sign-up for the Pacific Rim program will be available in a few weeks. I anticipate the course will be happening at 10 am, Australia time. If interested, just shoot me an email with PACIFIC RIM in the subject line and I will let you know when registration is open.

Finally, the long awaited Margin Boost program is finally here, but I don't have the registration page up yet. If you are interested in a breakthrough course on how to successfully increase your margins with both new and existing clients, your wait is almost over. This course will start October 11th, at 1 pm PT, and will run for seven weeks, 90 minutes each week. Each session is recorded with the same equipment used by Public Broadcasting and will be posted to a private web site, along with all of the slides to support long-term learning.

If you can't raise your margins at least 10 percent in the six months after this course, I insist on giving you your money back. If interested, just send me an email with MARGIN BOOST in the subject line, and I will send you the announcement when registration is open. Warning: I am accepting only 20 people for the first class. First come, first served.

Most of my individual coaching clients in Margin Boost have doubled their margins within six months. Your mileage may vary.

I hope you are finding this to be helpful. My mission is to give you information that is fresh, new, and that helps you make more while working less.

Thanks so much for reading,

Cheers,

Eric

503-635-2319

eric@succeedinginbusiness.com

PS: Next week, I will cover the Monkey Paw and its role in the Magic 7. This edition of the 'Success Tips' e-Newsletter will mean big money in the bank for many who are struggling today with great products and services that are not selling like they should be.

PPS: After many requests, I am going to begin to explore hitting the road again to give speeches and other public talks. If you have an upcoming event and have an interest, please send me an email: eric@succeedinginbusiness.com. I don't have a speaker's kit together yet, so be patient with me.

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
September 24, 2007

09/20/07 - Are you in their magic 7?

2007-10-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Do you know how to get into your world's magic 7?

Do you know how to get into your own magic 7?

Do you know how to break free from the limits of the magic 7?

Scientists have long known that the average human being can keep only between five and 11 things top-of-mind at any given time. I have heard it suggested that the safe number to assume people can cope with is seven.

Yes, of course there is life beyond magic 7. Lots of life.

Much of that life beyond magic 7 has to do with people's lifelong patterns. Patterns that, for most of us, were established very early in life.

Life beyond the magic 7 is composed of issues, pains, gaps and other "incompletes" in our lives, such as an aching tooth, a missed promotion, or a rude comment made by someone you thought you knew.

Finally, life beyond the magic 7 might be filled with our task lists or our to-do lists. I'll talk more about that in another newsletter.

Succeeding in business, I would like to suggest, is in part a function of our ability to get into other people's magic 7 sufficiently to get them to take the actions we wish them to take.

It is a brutal fact of life that if we can't get in their magic 7, we cannot deliberately or deterministically impact their actions on our behalf.

We do get lucky. We can and should count on some luck (such as market flow of business). It is just that we can't count on it. When the luck runs low, if we don't know the exact actions to take to become part of another person's magic 7, we might suffer unpleasant downturns or slowing of growth in our efforts to succeed in business.

Some people believe that you have to be face-to-face to be a part of the magic 7. No doubt it is a great way to temporarily get into someone's magic 7. The issue is, unless you can tie into their search for WIIFM (what's in it for me), you won't stay there long.

Communicating to the other person's "listening," or WIIFM, will briefly let you into their magic 7. You can also get in if they have some sort of recognized affiliation with you, are familiar with you, have some experience with you, or consider you to be a friend.

Most people walk around in essentially a state of sleep and only wake up to engage with the familiar or urgent. Since the bulk of your new business won't see you as familiar unless you have a powerful brand, you are going to have to rely on the urgent (the WIIFM) scan that human beings operate in during most waking hours.

Knowing how to reliably get into the magic 7 is the key to new business, and controlling your financial future, if you are responsible for making things happen. And yes, breaking into the magic 7 is a key success factor in this life, no matter what you do, in my opinion.

So take a minute right now and write out your top 7 tactics for getting in the magic 7 in business and in your personal life. You will likely find this to be difficult to do. I have never met anyone who didn't.

Over the next year, the magic 7 will be a theme that will be woven into most "Success Tips" newsletters.

The reason for this is simple. If a tree falls and nobody hears it, for all intents and purposes, it didn't fall, as far as any of us is concerned. The tree didn't make it into our magic 7. If we don't get into our target market's magic 7 deliberately, we are relying on luck. Living on the back of luck is a hair-rising way to live in the business world.

I suspect you have a set of tactics that you successfully use today to get into other's magic 7. That is outstanding. I want to encourage you to strive to enhance those skills and tactics if that is the case. Read on. There are some avenues for enhancement of your skills just ahead.

If you have been riding the good-times luck train and want to take some action towards greater control of your future, I want to ask you to consider two things:

First, keep reading this newsletter. We are all about helping you being deliberate at fully-realizing the pleasure and joy of succeeding in business.

Second, consider checking out some of these resources: Each one is a very powerful tool that will help you deliberately get into, and stay in, the magic 7 of your target market:

The Stephen Reiss book, Who Am I, lists the only 16 human drivers that have ever been scientifically validated. Each individual's driver focus is a little different. Knowing the 16 drivers gives you a pretty clear picture of what all people are seeking to add to their magic 7 at any given time. This is one way to know where to start.

We cover the mechanics of how to get and stay in the magic 7 in our Marketing Fast Track program. The next one starts October 11th.

It is really simple if you can get into, and stay in, a person's magic 7. If you are a fit at all, they will likely buy. This course shows you the specific steps to do that over and over again. If you think this is something you want to do in October, register here.

The book, Triggers, from the famous direct-marketer Joe Sugarman, has some very interesting insights into occupying the magic 7.

Robert Middleton has produced one of my favorites, and a favorite of some of my most successful clients. This gem is called the Info Guru manual.

One of my new favorites is Top Dog Sales Secrets, edited by Michael Dalton Johnson. One of their top promises is to "ignite buyer interest in seconds." If you follow the link above, they will give you a powerful set of bonus material that looks pretty darn useful.

Finally, the granddaddy of them all is Robert Cialdini's Influence. From what I can see, this fellow is the academic that gave birth to the modern influence industry in today's world.

However you do it, succeeding in business requires the ability to get into the magic 7 of others, so you have a chance to connect the value you bring to their lives in such a way that relationships start and financial transactions occur.

Stay tuned, we will talk about it often. In fact, we will shortly address the following topics:

Getting into your own magic 7: A major key to getting results and keeping your commitments

Breaking free from the limits of the magic 7: another key to making more, while working less.

Remember, we promised we would cover the following areas, in everything we do in this newsletter, and at www.succeedinginbusiness.com. Each of the following is critical to making more, while working less.

Insights that come from having clarity of purpose, goals, and objectives.

Simple tactics, plans and techniques to get lots of people ready to buy what you sell (makes selling much easier).

Simple sales techniques that are thoroughly field tested.

Margin boost: how to increase margins and get happier clients in the process.

How to get more done in less time.

Leadership: how to get things done by working through others

Tools: A big difference between the amateurs and the pros is the tools they know and use.

This newsletter article speaks to #2 (getting people ready to buy), #5 (getting more done in less time), #6 (leadership), and #7 (tools).

Have a great day,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
September 20, 2007

09/17/07 - Antidote for an econimic slowdown

2007-10-01T13:32:00.002-07:00

Economic slowdown: two of the scariest words in the English language.

I grew up in a family of very modest means. My mother had a good job as a school teacher, but my father presided over a failed entrepreneurial effort. We technically went bankrupt. I say "technically," because my folks never filed.

Instead, they paid back -- over about 20 years -- every cent of the money, including interest, to the people who backed my father. The result of this was that there never was much left for doing the things that most people took for granted in life, even then.

My response was to get busy. At eight, I had a paper route. I have been at it with a passion since. Every year since then, I have made a little or a lot more money than the year before. From an early age I knew that, "If it was to be, it was up to me." Or, as my mother would say, "Your extremity is God's opportunity." Yes indeed.

The words, economic slowdown, are very scary for anybody with a realistic view of life. The key is simply to not let the economic slowdown, which Alan Greenspan says is on its way to our economy, slow you down.

Economic slowdowns are very hard on the folks who sit back and remain passive as circumstances shift. If you get busy, it is very reasonable to have some of your best years while everyone else is moaning and groaning about how awful it is.

If an eight-year-old can get busy, there is no reason you can't do the same, even if there is no economic slowdown on your horizon.

Mark Joiner is viewed -- rightly so, I believe -- as one of the true innovators in marketing and the Internet. Mark has traveled the world doing workshops about succeeding in business online.

In each of these workshops, from what I have seen, and from what I am told, he asks everyone who owns a copy of Napoleon Hill's amazing book, Think and Grow Rich, to stand up. Next, he asks everyone who has not read the book to sit down. Typically, half the group sits down.

Eventually, he asks everyone who can't tell him what is on page 36 (which Mr. Hill says you must do every day, if you are truly committed to success) to sit down. In almost all programs, I am told, everyone sits down.

Mark Joiner, I suspect, is rich beyond most people's imagination, and yet he follows Napoleon Hill's recommendation for success religiously, to this day.

Economic slowdown may or may not be in our future. Frankly, for readers of this newsletter who put what we write about into action, it really won't matter much. All you have to do is take a little action and keep reading and you should sail through while others struggle.

I'll save you a trip to Amazon.com or the bookstore and reveal what Napoleon Hill wrote on page 36 of Think and Grow Rich. (You can get your own copy of the book, at no cost, at this Web site: http://www.frankfurness.com/freeebooks/think-and-grow-rich.pdf.)

Here is what Mr. Hill wrote:

The method by which desire for riches can be transmuted into its financial equivalent, consists of six definite, practical steps:

First: Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient merely to say, "I want plenty of money." Be definite as to the amount. (There is a psychological reason for definiteness which will be described in a subsequent chapter.)

Second. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for money you desire. (There is no such reality as "something for nothing.")

Third: Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.

Fourth: Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.

Fifth: Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.

Sixth: Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after arising in the morning. As you read, see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money.

It is important that you follow the instructions described in these six steps.

It is especially important that you observe, and follow the instructions in the sixth paragraph. You may complain that it is impossible for you to see yourself in possession of money before you actually have it. Here is where a burning desire will come to your aid. If you truly desire money so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it. The object is to want money, and to become so determined to have it that you convince yourself you will have it.

Courtesy of http://www.frankfurness.com/freeebooks/think-and-grow-rich.pdf

Happy Monday, September 17, 2007

Eric Albertson
Portland OR

09/13/07 - The simple stuff of real success in business

2007-10-01T13:32:00.001-07:00

Real success in business is fairly simple.

But here's the rub: It's often not all that easy.

Well over 100,000 people read this newsletter because (we believe), they want a steady stream of insight and actionable information on succeeding in business. I also get a lot of email that mentions inspiration and encouragement. Inspiration and encouragement are pretty lofty concepts, but we'll try to keep them coming.

Some time ago, I promised we would publish a simple inventory of the topics that we would be addressing in the newsletter each week. I will do that in this issue. But first, a word about who we are writing this newsletter for:

Our target market consists of people who are committed to making more, while working less.

Historically, these are people whose incomes relied on effective marketing, sales, and time management.

For example, we have thousands of subscribers in each of the following categories:

Insurance sales (all kinds)

Stock brokers & financial advisors

Real estate, both commercial and residential

Training and education

Consulting of all kinds

Hi-tech sales people

Software sales

Sales of all kinds

Entrepreneurs

Business owners

Business leaders (more than 10,000 presidents and CEO's)

Sales managers

We reach people in every major country in the world, with more than 10,000 subscribers in Western Europe, 8,000 in Australia and New Zealand, and so on.

Information is everywhere today. And, while we will provide you with solid "battle-tested" information, our core philosophy is to help you get into -- and stay in -- action. If we can do that together, we can deliver on the promise of helping you make more, while working less.

Success stories like these are what keep us going:

"Who knew that I could make more working 3 days a week than I used to make working six days a week."

"I doubled my income using the information from one of your classes."

"I got a 40 percent boost in my income using your stuff."

"I am encouraged to keep going by reading your newsletters."

"I pick-up techniques that my competitors don't know about."

"You guys get me out of my rut."

"My husband and friends always want to know where I come up with these ideas."

"I see the world differently."

"My work is insane – I read to be reminded that sanity does exist."

We are producing this newsletter so that you and the ones you love can have a better life while you work less.

I love what I do, but I love my wife, my kids and my family more. I also happen to be pretty committed to making significantly more money every year I work.

I try to practice what I preach.

What to expect in the future

Here are the topics you can expect us to cover in the newsletter, in our e-Books, in our group coaching and in our consulting:

Insights that come from having goals and objectives: clarity of purpose.

Simple tactics, plans and techniques to get lots of people ready to buy what you sell. This makes selling much easier.

Simple sales techniques that are thoroughly field-tested.

Margin boost: How to increase margins and get happier clients in the process.

How to get more done in less time.

Leadership: How to get things done by working through others.

Tools: A big difference between the amateurs and the pros is the tools they know and use.

Each newsletter from here on will be relevant to one of those seven categories. We will continue to try to give you a steady stream of insight and actionable information on succeeding in business. And yes, we'll continue to try to inspire and encourage.

If you like the idea of learning how to charge what you are really worth, you might be interested in our upcoming Margin Boost class. The first of seven classes starts October 11th. More information about them will be available shortly.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
September 13, 2007

09/10/07 - Watch out for labels

2007-10-01T13:31:00.001-07:00

I purchased my home from a gastroenterologist who told me a story as he was handing over the keys to my new home. Here is his story:

Question: What do you call the person who graduates at the top of the class from Harvard Medical School?

Answer: Doctor (label).

Question: What do you call the person who graduates at the bottom of the class from the worst medical school?

Answer: Doctor.

While I don't recall the exact point he was trying to make in telling me that story, I do know that it is a very powerful illustration of a concept that can have a major impact on anyone who is marketing or selling in business.

Here's why:

We like labels because they let us make snap decisions. They allow us to -- instantly -- sort our world into comfortable, well-known buckets.

Often, they allow us to simply not think, or to not think deeply. For much of life, this is very useful.

However, when you're trying to market or sell to someone, leading with a label is usually not a good thing. This is especially true if you are highly-differentiated, or serve a need that people are not aware of.

In our example above, the Harvard Medical School graduate is compromised by advertising himself as a mere "doctor." On the other hand, the person who graduated at the bottom of the class of the worst medical school is getting quite a lift from the doctor label.

Your task is to define yourself by the problem(s) you solve and the results you help people achieve.

To be effective at this, I recommend that you consider doing the following:

Keep it short.

State a problem that can be resolved, or a situation that can be enhanced, in a specific target market.

State the nature of the outcome you achieve for people who have that problem.

Stop talking.

Saying more than that will not help, so stifle the urge.

If the person you're talking to recognizes the need, and if your message is reasonable, he or she will say, "Tell me more."

That is your cue to keep moving through what we call the marketing syntax in a disciplined fashion.

Here is the marketing syntax:

Target -- Who are your ideal clients?

Problem -- What is your prospect's issue or challenge?

Outcome -- What result or outcome would they prefer?

Story (proof) -- Stories or case studies that describe moving from problem to outcome.

Benefits -- What's everything clients get when they work with you?

Credibility -- What qualifies you to do what you do?

Process -- What do you actually offer and how does it work?

Call-to-action -- What do you want them to do next?

You actually want to say as little as possible. Talking people to death rarely leads to a sale.

Marketing syntax is designed to speak to the WIIFM (what's in it for me?) message that most people are listening for.

For example, my message for many is: "I help business people worldwide who must enhance their ability to generate profits. Often we see 50% and greater increases in annual profits for those that follow our guidance."

Or, I could use a label: "I am a consultant".

I probably don't need to say how poorly that label works out for my bank account.

Here is the acid test: Ask 10 of your closest friends, family, and associates what you do. If they feed back a label, rather than a nice tight, powerful elevator speech, you might have an opportunity to improve.

For many, what I have written above is all that it takes.

For others who are not willing to leave their increase in profits to chance, there is the Marketing Fast Track Program. We give you the full tool kit of capabilities necessary to get more clients. And we do it in seven simple steps.

Our next program starts September 12th. You can find out more here, and register for the class here. Everyone who enrolls in the class will be given -- at no charge -- a copy of our soon-to-released elevator speech e-Book.

As with everything we do and sell, you are backed by a no-questions-asked, lifetime money-back guarantee. There is zero risk in taking one of our classes, or in buying one of our books (see catalog).

The moral of the story is: Avoid labels and stick to the problems you solve or the situations you enhance.

Because of our lifelong habits, it is not as easy as it might seem. But, give it the effort and it will likely line your wallet, keep you on track for more fun, and get you that precious MBA (massive bank account).
Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
September 10, 2007

09/06/07 - A very different newsletter

2007-10-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a very different newsletter.

I got an email from a dear friend this week. It is important to know that this friend had a very rough start in life, but found spectacular success in business as the CEO of a media company that worked with the likes of Intel, HP, Compaq, IBM and so on.

My friend sold the business and retired to be a full-time dad to his three kids, a good husband to his wife, and a friend to dozens of lucky people like me.

My friend's name is Jeff. This year Jeff has taken on a number of very challenging business ventures that have sucked him dry financially and emotionally. Don't we all have that cloud in our lives from time-to-time when we are striving for a new future?

Jeff needed some pure joy in his life last September; that joy arrived in the unexpected form of a stray kitten. In no time this little stray gray kitty had stolen Jeff and his family's hearts. I heard the joy in Jeff's voice every time kitty was mentioned. I think it is safe to say that kitty made a very, very difficult year for Jeff as tolerable as it could be.

Succeeding in business is not always about goals, marketing, selling and boosting margins. Even when you are doing that well, you can still be emotionally at the end of your rope and feeling very blue.

The whole point of this email is to encourage you to stand back as we finish off 2007 in the next few months, and seek to add something in your life that will bring you great joy.

Jeff's kitty joy ended last week. Kitty made a one-way trip to the vet. Jeff cried for two days, he told me. Kitty sadly didn't stay on this earth long, but made a profound difference in the life of my friend Jeff and his world.

No matter how you feel about kittens, cats, or pets in general, the obituary that Jeff penned is a worthwhile read. Jeff wrote it to process his grief. I am suggesting that it is a gift to us all as a reminder to stop, smell the roses and remember that success in life is about much more than making another buck.

Here's the obituary he wrote:

------------------------------------------------------------

Penny "Kitty" (Martin)
Born: August 4, 2006
Found in a box soon afterward
Died: August 31, 2007

Kitty was put to sleep at the Parkway Vet Hospital after a brief battle with feline infectious peritonitis.

Kitty was a surprise 49th birthday gift to her human father. Surprise, because he had given up the idea of having any more pets. Surprise, because his human wife had declared no interest in having a cat. Surprise, because it is rare for a man that age to get a kitten as a gift.

Kitty is survived by five humans that loved her very much. Sam, twenty-four, taught her to climb trees and fly high in his outstretched arms. Con, nineteen, let her sleep under the covers of his bed when he was home. Lucy, seventeen, was afraid of Kitty when she got rowdy and they fought sometimes, as loving sisters do.

Kitty had a special relationship with her human mother Liz. Liz had had no use for cats before Kitty. In no time, Liz and Kitty were best of friends. Kitty liked to tease Liz by scratching furniture, or jumping up on the kitchen table and then running away when Liz came to get her. They read together, watched TV, played string games, and did work on the computer together.

Kitty was a gift to Jeff. The pressures of a life full of responsibilities and commitments have worn down Jeff. Kitty was a reminder to Jeff that the simple joy provided by a kitten can make a happy life. That a grown man can give his heart to a kitten indicates something more significant about the man than the kitten. We are made for love; we are made for laughter; we need so little to make us happy -- if we choose, and losing something or someone you love hurts, but it is worth it.

In her life, Kitty caught two mice, one mole, two hummingbirds, and one non-descript other bird. She was a proud hunter, and great playmate. And she changed a family forever.

--------------------------------------------------------------

All the best,

Eric

PS - we have 24 students for the September 12 Marketing Fast Track Program with six seats still available. If you are interested, please act fast before the last six seats are gone.

Click Here for More Information on the Marketing Fast Track Program

Click Here to Register for the September 12th Marketing Fast Track Program

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
September 6, 2007

08/30/07 - More on referrals

2007-10-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

In last Thursday's issue we talked about more behaviors that can interfere with getting referrals. Today, we finish the series on behaviors that can interfere with getting referrals. But, like the other times, I'd like to ask you to share behaviors that I haven't thought of. Email them to me at eric@succeedinginbusiness.com. I will still share them with everyone on this mailing list.

If you know of others who are not competitors, but who are equally committed to succeeding in business, please forward this article to them. For many, this is all they will ever need to reliably build professional and financial security for the rest of their lives.

Here's the last of the regular batch of behaviors that can interfere with getting referrals:

Maybe you're not always kind to everyone around you. Sometimes, insecurity can make us seem to be cool, aloof, or condescending to others. Maybe we don't intend it, but we pay a high and unnecessary price for that behavior, no matter why we exhibit it.

You don't go the extra mile. I don't need to explain how going the extra mile impacts referrals.

You don't give to others without expecting something in return. People can read that behavior, and they don't like it. When you do give something with no strings attached, stay quiet about it. This approach might not work overnight, but does it ever work. You will be amazed.

You forget to be remarkable. No matter how mundane what you do might seem to you, there is always a way to make it remarkable. It can be as simple as a smile where you wouldn't expect it. My barber invites me in between haircuts to get a neck and sideburn trim at no extra cost. He also has bottles of cold water in the cooler and stacks of vintage magazines. He isn't cheap, he doesn't take reservations, and he always has a waiting line. Pure magic. And his wife always is driving a new luxury car.

You don't have your three top goals memorized and visualized. These drive everything above. No purpose means no performance.

You forgot to be thankful for what you already have. For some reason in this world, if you can't be profoundly thankful for what you already have, life often doesn't seem to see it's way clear to give you more.

Of course, there are more behaviors that interfere with getting referrals. Hopefully, you'll continue sending me your thoughts about them, and we'll revisit the topic soon. Send them to: eric@succeedinginbusiness.com.

In the meantime, a short note to help us (and you) pay the bills:

The Marketing Fast Track course has been a great success, and the next session is nearly filled up. It begins on Wednesday, September 12, 2007, at 1:00 P.M. PST, and "meets" each subsequent Wednesday until October 24, all at 1:00 P.M. PST. Check it out.

The course will give you the tools you need to create a message that will get you 1,000+ referrals. It will also:

Make getting steady referrals a routine part of your life.

Give you reliable tools to make more money than you ever thought you could.

Show you new things you can use to make more money, more easily, each week.

Show you how you can quit cold-calling.

Understand how to stop being your own worst enemy in marketing and sales efforts.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 30, 2007

08/27/07 - The hidden committment that derails persistence

2007-10-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

Persistence is widely known to be the key to success in any endeavor. This is no secret. It's known the world over by the rich and poor, alike. So, if the key to success is so well known, why is it so infrequently used to its maximum potential?

Another widely heard story, which is told by motivational speakers the world over, is that by age 65, 97 percent of all Americans will be dead or broke (depending on Social Security and the good graces of others). The remaining three percent will be the few with true financial independence. Ouch.

Napoleon Hill's astonishing, and still relevant book, Think and Grow Rich, has sold millions since it was first published on the heels of the Great Depression in 1937. It is still relevant now. Here is what the author says about persistence:

Four steps to persistence

There are four simple steps which lead to the habit of persistence. They call for no great amount of intelligence, no particular amount of education, and but little time or effort. The necessary steps are:

A definite purpose, backed by a burning desire for its fulfillment.

A definite plan, expressed in continuous action.

A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends, and acquaintances.

A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose.
The preceding four steps are essential for success in all walks of life. The entire purpose of the thirteen principles of this philosophy is to enable one to take these steps as a matter of habit.

They are the steps:

By which one may control one's economic destiny.

That lead to freedom and independence of thought.

That lead to riches, in small or great quantities.

That lead the way to power, fame, and worldly recognition.

That guarantee favorable "breaks."

That convert dreams into physical realities.

That lead to mastery of fear, discouragement, indifference.

There is a magnificent reward for all who learn to take these four steps. It is the privilege of writing one's own ticket, and of making life yield whatever price is asked.
So simple, so powerful, and so rarely done. Why?

I have helped hundreds of people become millionaires at this point in my life. Before things really took off for any of these folks, they usually had to resolve one or more hidden commitments that ran counter to their success.

Some examples:

"I can't make more money than my father or mother."

"I can't make more money than my friends."

"I don't want to be seen as greedy."

"I refuse to ‘brag' about my capabilities."

"It will harm my ability to be a good person."

The list of "reason's" is practically endless.

The biggest reason of all is that they don't want to be disappointed. It seems that literally millions of people are afraid that they will persistently work in a direction that won't lead anywhere; that won't produce good results. This mindset condemns them to inaction. And inaction does not lead to success.

All who want to succeed in business will find it necessary to market if they want their businesses to steadily grow. Word-of-mouth and referrals require a foundation of good marketing (also known as clear communication). If there is no clarity in your communication, there is nothing for word-of-mouth, or the magic of referrals, to operate upon.

Persistence is the foundation of successful marketing. With rare exceptions, your first efforts at marketing will not work as well as subsequent efforts. Each effort, driven by persistence, will hone your skills and educate you about what will work to bring you a steady flow of the business you desire.

On September 12th we will kick off another eight week session of the highly-acclaimed Marketing Fast Track to more clients course. In this course, we will show you the seven simple steps that will rapidly accelerate your ability to improve your personal and business profits.

The thing that stops many, many people is that they are not sure what to be persistent at. This class will show you what to be persistent at. It will show you the things you must do to gain all the business you can handle for the rest of your working careers. And it will do it step-by-step.

These steps apply to any business: wealth management, insurance, commercial real estate, residential real estate, doctors, lawyers, title insurance, mortgage brokers, placement services, catering, life insurance, business brokers, researchers, manufacturing reps, and anyone else who is not selling something retail.

You bring the desire and the willingness to be persistent, and we will bring you a way to be successful in marketing. This method has been tested by thousands. When combined with persistence, this approach always delivers results, in my experience.

People who have taken the class have marveled at:

How much they learned from the other participants.

The discipline they've gained to stay focused, for 90 minutes each week, on what will make them successful.

The clarity they've gained by taking the class from someone who can nearly instantly point them in the direction that will accelerate results.

We have only 20 more slots open for this class, so sign-up now.

Persistence is the master key to success. We have a recipe for success in marketing. You add the persistence, and success is likely in your future.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 27, 2007

08/23/07 - More on referrals

2007-10-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

In last Thursday's issue we talked about more behaviors that can interfere with getting referrals. Today, we continue that discussion, with the addition of some new behaviors. Once again, I'd like to ask you to share behaviors that I haven't thought of. Email them to me at eric@succeedinginbusiness.com. I will share them with everyone on this mailing list.

If you know of others who are not competitors, but who are equally committed to succeeding in business, please forward this article to them. For many, this is all they will ever need to reliably build professional and financial security for the rest of their lives.

[These are the next six reasons you don't get referrals.]

You don't ask for referrals often enough. Plan on asking for them six or eight times per year. If you are short, crisp, and have conviction that you add value, nobody will mind. Remember, they want to contribute to your success and are happy to do it if you make it easy!

Maybe you're trying to sell them on making a referral. Don't. You can be guaranteed that nothing will happen if you try to sell them on it. Either they will gladly do it from a simple request or they won't. This one is a killer if you don't follow it. Stay detached.

You're asking for a referral even though you're not sincerely interested in the other person's well-being. For some reason, people know when you are sincerely interested in their well-being, and will respond only when they can, at some level, detect that sincerity. Go figure.

You don't refer enough to others even though they don't refer to you. Doing so is making use of the law of reciprocation. Do it enough, and well enough, and eventually, they will start referring to you.

Maybe you ask for referrals every time you see someone who could make them. Don't do it. Ask too often, and they avoid you. Ask too seldom and nothing happens. I do it about 30 percent of the time, at most.

You don't dress for success. Dress and behave so the person you're asking is comfortable with having a friend or business associate contact you. Take a long look in the mirror. Do you look like success?

Of course, there are more behaviors that interfere with getting referrals, and I'll talk about more of them in next Thursday's issue of the Success Tips Newsletter. And, don't forget: If you know of other behaviors that interfere with getting referrals, please email them to me at eric@succeedinginbusiness.com. I'll share them, in turn, with the others on this newsletter list.

In the meantime, a short note to help us (and you) pay the bills:

The Marketing Fast Track course has been a great success, and the next session is filling up rapidly. It begins on Wednesday, September 12, 2007, at 1:00 P.M. PST, and "meets" each subsequent Wednesday until October 24, all at 1:00 P.M. PST. Check it out.

The course will give you the tools you need to create a message that will get you 1,000+ referrals. It will also:

Make getting steady referrals a routine part of your life.

Give you reliable tools to make more money than you ever thought you could.

Show you new things you can use to make more money, more easily, each week.

Show you how you can quit cold-calling.

Understand how to stop being your own worst enemy in marketing and sales efforts.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 23, 2007

08/20/07 - The role of human nature in your sales (cont'd)

2007-10-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Every day, people buy inferior products from the person who is superior at coming across best. This week I'm covering a few simple words that can help you come across better and give you better results in everything, including sales.

As you may recall, each week in August, I will cover one of the fundamental areas that can affect how you come across, beyond just the "dress for success" stuff.

This will be truly-advanced stuff that I have never shared with anyone before, outside of my www.performanceleadershipgroup.com clients in the Global 2000.

First, be aware that a book could be (and has been) written on each of these. At www.performanceleadershipgroup.com, we have a six-month course that covers them.

The power here, for marketing, sales and generally succeeding in business, is staggering. This is the essence, we have found over the last 30 years, of the dialog that gets people into action.

Today I will be brief in my overview. You can be confident that I will keep coming back to these in the next 12 months, to help you put their immense power to work, in marketing, in sales, and in your efforts to succeed in business.

The critical words that can change everything are:

Relationship

Possibility

Clarity

Opportunity

Action

Completion

Here are the actions you can consider taking in relation to these actions:

Relationship: Confirm shared values and objectives. For example, "Mr. Johnson, we all go to work in the morning trying to do the best job we can. I know you are trying to do the best job for your company just as I am for mine." In essence, find a way to relate to the other person on the basis of shared values. Do this, and everything that follows will be better. Fail to do this, and you will have highly-variable results.

Possibility: Talk about the various possibilities for getting end results without judgment. For example, "What are the possibilities you see this year for making your numbers? What kinds of strategies and tactics do you think might even remotely work to meet this need?"

Clarity: This can come at any point in a dialogue, and should be encouraged. Interaction starts to die when either side in the dialogue loses clarity. For example, "Mr. Johnson, I am not clear on what is motivating you and your company to move in this direction. I might be able to be of some help if I understood a little better."

Opportunity: Possibilities become opportunities when they pass through the filter of constraints, including the timeline for results. For example, "Mr. Johnson, if you could keep your costs under X level, and meet all of your other conditions of satisfaction, would looking at my solution be an opportunity that you would be willing to examine more closely?"

Action: Once you have agreement that there is an opportunity, it is time to move into the "action" dialogue. For example: "Mr. Johnson, from my company's point of view, there are a number of possible first steps in this process. What is the first step you need to take to put this into action?"

Completion: Success comes after the fact. Let's assume that Mr. Johnson has done some business with you, and that you have gotten a satisfactory result. It is now time to briefly review what has happened, and to acknowledge everyone for their roles in realizing the benefits of the business relationship.

All these things seems so simple, and yet it rarely happens deliberately or completely. If you take baby steps in working through this with prospects and customers, you are likely to find that things go more smoothly, more profitably, and that the second, third and fourth sales happen much quicker. You will also find, if our experience is any indication, that referrals happen almost automatically. Pretty cool.

Here is the (Monday) newsletter schedule for the next three weeks:

August 27th: The listening filters that make it difficult for us to come across well.

September 3rd. The number one key to coming across effectively.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 20, 2007

08/16/07 - What stalls or stops referrals (cont'd)

2007-10-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

In last Thursday's issue we talked about many behaviors (or lack of same) that can interfere with getting referrals. Today, we continue that discussion, with the addition of some new behaviors. Once again, I'd like to ask you to share behaviors that I haven't thought of. Email them to me at eric@succeedinginbusiness.com. I will share them with everyone on this mailing list.

If you know of others who are not competitors, but who are equally committed to succeeding in business, please forward this article to them. For many, this is all they will ever need to reliably build professional and financial security for the rest of their lives.

You don't ask for referrals

This is one of the biggest reasons we don't get referrals. We don't ask for them. Most people are happy to help others succeed, but you have to ask them to do it. And you must remain detached about the outcome. Don't act as though you're desperate.

You don't write down what you do

If you don't have a good elevator speech (or audio logo), or if you haven't written it out clearly, chances are the people you ask for referrals won't know how to refer you. What's even worse is if you don't know what you do. By all means, if you haven't already done so, take the time to compose a good elevator speech. One that defines your target market, describes the problems they have to have solved, and how you solve them. And then be sure you write it down, so when you ask people to refer you, you can give them that written description. Then you'll know they have it right. Also, they won't feel foolish when they realize they're not sure what you do. If you want someone else to tout what you do, you'd best make sure they know what you do.

You expect too much of the people you ask to refer you. People are very busy and totally focused on WIIFM ("What's in it for me"). They will give you referrals if it is easy and convenient for them to do so. The implication is that you need to give them a tight, well-crafted sound bite that is easy to repeat and is differentiated enough that they will feel like they are passing along something of value, not just something that fulfills a duty.

You ask a person to refer you only once. Don't be a pain. But don't just ask once, either. A light, quick request every so often, should do it.

You take too long to make the request

Don't go on and on about yourself or your product or service when you ask for a referral. Make it very, very brief. This just means that you have it down to a quick, tight sound-bite that you have thoroughly tested.

You don't thank people properly

At the very least, thank people who have referred you in a handwritten note. I try to send flowers, or take them out to lunch. Remember to reward the behaviors you want to have repeated.

You don't reciprocate

Ask referrers (or potential referrers) how you might best refer them. Try to understand their business so you can describe it in a way that is likely to get them business (maybe you ask them for a copy of their elevator speech). Ask them to confirm your understanding. And, don't forget the obvious: Be sure you have their phone numbers, email addresses, and any other relevant details you'll need to pull off a referral.

Of course, there are other behaviors that interfere with getting referrals, and I'll talk about some more of them in next Thursday's issue of the Success Tips Newsletter. And, don't forget: If you know of other behaviors that interfere with getting referrals, please email them to me at eric@succeedinginbusiness.com. I'll share them, in turn, with the others on this newsletter list.

In the meantime, a short note to help us (and you) pay the bills:

The Marketing Fast Track course has been a great success, and the next session is filling up rapidly. It begins on Wednesday, September 12, 2007, at 1:00 P.M. PST, and "meets" each subsequent Wednesday until October 24, all at 1:00 P.M. PST. Check it out.

The course will give you the tools you need to create a message that will get you 1,000+ referrals. It will also:

Make getting steady referrals a routine part of your life.

Give you reliable tools to make more money than you ever thought you could.

Show you new things you can use to make more money, more easily, each week.

Show you how you can quit cold-calling.

Understand how to stop being your own worst enemy in marketing and sales efforts.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 16, 2007

08/14/07 - The role of human nature in your sales

2007-10-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Every day, people buy inferior products from the person who is superior at coming across best. This week I'm covering the cost of human nature -- in yourself and others -- to your sales.

As you may recall, each week in August, I will cover one of the fundamental areas that can affect how you come across, beyond just the "dress for success" stuff.

This will be truly-advanced stuff that I have never shared with anyone before, outside of my www.performanceleadershipgroup.com clients in the Global 2000.

Let's get started with the cost of human nature to your sales.

Everyone knows all about human nature. It is the way we can count on people behaving when they operate on "automatic."

If you clearly know how people are going to behave in advance, you can plan to use it to your advantage.

We will keep this simple, so you can use it immediately.

Here are a few aspects of human nature that you can begin to think about, as well as a couple of ideas about how you can use these aspects of human nature to your advantage:

People would rather be right than anything else.

People's knee-jerk response to most offers, is "No."

People view the world from a "fear of loss" standpoint, as opposed to an "excitement of gain" standpoint.

People operate from a collection of "mental tapes," unique to each individual, that tell them how the world should be. Most of the time, they are listening to these tapes when we think or hope they are listening to what we are saying.

People the world over react negatively to opinions stated as facts

The result of these, and many other aspects of human nature, is that people don't buy from you when you don't align with them at a very basic level. If you operate on "automatic," just like they are doing, the results are usually poor.

The good news is that there is a simple set of fixes. These fixes lead to results in sales, marketing, leadership, and any other area where you want people to change, or move in your direction.

Here are some of the strategies to consider:

Just let people be "right." Once you have let them be right, ask them if they are willing to consider some additional points of view on the subject.

Get aligned with their values and priorities prior to making an offer. Most offers are rejected out-of-hand when not previously aligned with the person's values and interests. And no, it is not obvious how you and your offer might align with their values and interests.

Ask people what results they are committed to achieving. For many, this will leave them blank. It is usually a good idea now to share what you have externally observed about their honorable commitments and perhaps what you might assume about their commitments that could relate to what you are selling. For example, "I know you are committed to quality and ROI when you make an investment. Are you willing to discuss what qualities and ROI you require for your investments?"

Ask them what possibilities they have considered for a solution. When they run out of these (which they usually do very quickly), be prepared to give them a number of other possibilities that directly or indirectly involve what you want them to do. I like the wording, "Are you also looking for way to..." This just gets them thinking in new ways, and seeing you in new ways.

Always make offers that give people some choice. I prefer a choice between two things, rarely more.

Confirm your relationship over joint commitment to certain values: "We are both committed to having a great reputation and doing the right thing for our respective businesses." Isn't there some way we can briefly explore this situation and see if we can find something that provides both of us a win?

Never state anything as a hard fact, but rather, say something like this: "I am not certain of this, but it has been my observation that X, Y, and Z, seem to be factors in success." You might be astonished to find that people's ability to listen and act on what you say, will suddenly improve dramatically.

Ask the question, "Does this look like an opportunity for you?"

Acknowledge the other person honestly for something that is observable. Flattery, in my experience, is dangerous. Clear, clean, honest, acknowledgement is powerful. This helps people listen and be open to what you have to say.

Let people get complete when you first engage them. For example: "I'll be here for 30 minutes and will try to leave in 20." "I am here to discuss your investments or insurance, or whatever." "I would like to start by just asking you if you have any questions for me that have been collecting in the back of your mind." WOW, is this ever powerful. People get this off their chest and can listen fully and be present with you.

The conversations I have outlined here, engage different areas of the human brain than the knee-jerk, "No," or automatic response area of the brain. These tactics help engage the part of the brain that is open to new possibilities. New possibilities, such as buying from you.

Give it a try. As you attain mastery with this, your sales are likely to gradually improve.

Once I started using these tactics, my income started growing faster than it ever had before in my direct sales efforts. I know these are not common suggestions in sales, but try them out enough to allow them to be effective. I suspect these may help you make more money with less work. After all, that is the point of succeeding in business.

Here is the (Monday) newsletter schedule for the next three weeks:

August 20th: How a few simple words can help us come across infinitely more successfully.

August 27th: The listening filters that make it difficult for us to come across well.

September 3rd. The number one key to coming across effectively.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 14, 2007

08/09/07 - More on referrals

2007-10-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

What stalls or stops referrals?
A lot of things can interfere with getting referrals. I have listed (below) the ones I can think of. If you come up with others, please share them with me (eric@succeedinginbusiness.com). In turn, I'll share them with the rest of the people on the list.

If you know of others who are not competitors, but who are equally committed to succeeding in business, please forward this article to them. For many, this is all they will ever need to reliably build professional and financial security for the rest of their lives.

You haven't repeated the words that describe the essence of what you do often enough. If you don't repeat it, people won't remember it. What you say about what you do should get attention, cut through the noise, and be relevant to the person you are speaking to.

The acid test is this: If people can't easily repeat the words you use to describe your business and the benefits you offer, you will not fully realize your referral potential, no matter how well you do everything else on this list.

You will know that you have made it when the 20 people closest to you can all accurately describe who your target market is and the problem you solve for that target market. Everything else on this list depends on getting this part right.

If you struggle with this, or simply want to enhance your abilities, consider taking the Marketing Fast Track program. It is a master's class on describing effectively what you do, so people will predictably respond. Enroll in the class, do the homework, build your message. If it doesn't give you the roadmap to creating a message that makes you money, we insist that you call or write for a no-questions-asked refund of your tuition. The results are absolutely guaranteed.

Your elevator speech, or audio logo, doesn't tie into one of the 16 basic desires* somehow:

Power is the desire to influence others.

Independence is the desire for self-reliance.

Curiosity is the desire for knowledge.

Acceptance is the desire for inclusion.

Order is the desire for organization.

Saving is the desire to collect things.

Honor is the desire to be loyal to one's parents and heritage.

Idealism is the desire for social justice.

Social contact is the desire for companionship.

Family is the desire to raise one's own children.

Status is the desire for social standing.

Vengeance is the desire to get even.

Romance is the desire for sex and beauty.

Eating is the desire to consume food.

Physical Activity is the desire for exercise of muscles.

Tranquility is the desire for emotional calm.

You don't deliver what you promised.

You don't do it when you promised.

You don't do it in the way you promised.

You exaggerate what you can do.

You don't believe it yourself.

I'll be talking about more problems that can interfere with getting referrals in the next issue. In the meantime, please tell everyone you know about www.succeedinginbusiness.com Our mission is to help those who are committed to succeeding in business. If you follow the advice in this newsletter you will increase your income. For some, reading this newsletter alone, has been worth over $100,000+ in income that they wouldn't have had otherwise. For others it has meant multiple promotions. For others it has meant far better personal relationships. If it works for you, please pass it on.

Enjoy your summer,

Eric

PS: What did I miss? Please send me a note at eric@succeedinginbusiness.com and let me know. I am certain I missed a boatload. If you share with me, I'll share with everyone else on the list.

PPS: The Marketing Fast Track program has been a spectacular success and is filling up. Hopefully, not without you!

Here are two examples of what others have said about it:

Nobody knows the frustrations of not getting your phone calls returned like all of us in the insurance industry. While I am not completely finished with Eric's Marketing Fast Track Program, I am already making the required adjustments in my messaging and am progressively getting more and more of my calls returned -- I gotta tell you, it is really sweet when they leave me a message and ask me to call them back as soon as I can.

-- Bob Healy, Vice President
Hilb Rogal & Hobbs, (HRH) Insurance.

I have long wanted to get out of the business of cold-calling, but had been skeptical that there was anything that would work. The Marketing Fast Track program really opened my eyes and got me happily out from under the dark cloud of cold-calling.

-- Jack Meligan, President, Settlement Professionals www.settlepro.com

*Taken in whole from Steven Reiss's book, Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities. Berkley Press 2002

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 9, 2007

08/06/07 - How you come across is a hidden factor in winning sales

2007-10-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

How I "come across?" How does that affect my ability to market and sell?

Who am I in the world? We ask people this question in many of our Performance Leadership Group workshops (www.performanceleadershipgroup.com). Every answer we hear is both right and wrong. Here is why I say that.

The workshop participants suggest all sorts of things that they are in the world. What we ask them to consider is that, for all practical purposes, in marketing, sales and leadership, we are what other people say we are.

Ouch. Personally I don't like to hear that at all. Please read on. This is powerful.

You and I have an idea of who we are. Sometimes that idea agrees with how others see us. Often it does not.

A Story:

One sales representative found, when he overheard a conversation at a client's office, that people in that office felt like he always put them down in subtle ways. He asked his wife. Sheepishly, she agreed that it was a consistent habit of his. She hadn't said anything, because she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

He started recording some of his phone conversations with pipeline prospects and customers. When he listened to the recordings later with his wife, he felt ill. He was consistently playing one-up on everyone and being slightly negative about everyone he was talking with.

He wasn't sure why he had gotten into doing this. He did admit that while it sometimes made him feel superior to do what he had been doing, he could see he was paying a steep price for that fleeting feeling.

This sales rep quit putting people down and his sales soared. This rep's little indulgence at feeling superior had been costing him tens of thousands in lost income.

How we come across to others: our reputations, the stories others tell about us, and so on, are who we are in the world, to others. Sadly perception is reality when it comes to how others act in relation to us. How could it be otherwise?

Whether it's true or not, is, of course, not the point. How you come across, the stories your behaviors inspire, are, for all intents and purposes, the "truth" about you that others operate on. Make them feel put down and they get even with you by not buying. Even if you have the best product.

For most people, just recording some of your calls, and listening to them with a loved one who will tell you the truth, might be all the insight you need to stop coming across in ways that hurt sales. Others might want to go into it more thoroughly.

I don't have a class or book to offer you about this yet. However, If you feel that coming across differently might enhance your ability to achieve results in your business, you can check out the new six-week, 90- minutes-a-week tele-class, entitled "Enhancing Organizational Performance."

This class is for leaders and is all about the foundation skills necessary to consistently come across well and get results through others. I suspect it will be a revelation if coming across well is important to you and your sales performance.

Every day, people buy inferior products from the person who is superior at coming across best. I'll cover the major dimensions of the issue over the next four weeks in this newsletter.

Each week in August, I will cover one of the fundamental areas that can affect how you come across, beyond just the "dress for success" stuff.

This will be truly-advanced stuff that I have never shared with anyone before, outside of my www.performanceleadershipgroup.com clients in the Global 2000.

We will cover the following areas that affect how you come across:

How human nature can make us come across poorly.

How a few simple words can help us come across infinitely more successfully.

The listening filters that make it difficult for us to come across well.

The number one key to coming across effectively.

Monday newsletters will cover topics about coming across. Thursday newsletters will be the same as always: About how to succeed in business, via better marketing, sales, and execution.

Please take a minute to do me a favor: Refer this newsletter to any of your friends and associates who might benefit from reading it. Helping those you care about to come across as they intend, is a real gift.

Thanks,

Eric

PS: I do have an advanced offering on how to make your business, service, or product come across at its best, most understandable and most actionable. It's called the Marketing Fast Track program. This program is simply one of the best ways available today to dramatically improve your ability to get and keep more customers.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 6, 2007

08/02/07 - The real secret to referrals doesn't cost you a dime

2007-10-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

This newsletter is about a very effective way to get referrals. Please do me a favor: If you like what we are writing, please consider shooting me an email (eric@succeedinginbusiness.com). I would like to know what you think, and what you want, if you are not getting it. I would also like to know if you want us to stop doing something. Thanks, in advance.

-- Eric

For many, succeeding in business is simply the mastery of getting referrals. The "King of Referrals" is a fellow named Joe Girard who sent birthday cards, thank you cards, holiday cards and I'm-thinking-of-you cards to every customer. He sold more cars than any individual before, or since, according to the story I have heard. His secret? He was nice, sincere, stayed in touch, and asked for referrals. Pretty simple; and pretty effective.

In my experience, there are really three simple keys to getting referrals and not one of them costs a dime, beyond your time and attention. Those three things are:

Have your elevator speech down cold (simply who you serve and the challenge or aspiration you address. Nothing more; nothing less.

Perform in your business. That is, do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it.

Know that people love to contribute to your success. You just have to make it easy for them. In other words, ask.

If you can give people a well-crafted elevator speech that describes what you actually do in your business, all you have to do is ask. Then let one of the great drivers in human nature take over from there. People love to contribute to others' success, if you make it easy for them.

Here is an email message I just got this morning, from a subscriber who got to feel the effects of being asked to refer. I can't say it as well as she did. Please read on:

Eric, I know I cannot keep writing you because you do have 160,000+ other subscribers (and paying clients), but I did have to say one other thing. The light bulb really went off when I read this e-mail... your advice was just proved. You said to me in your first e-mail, "people love to contribute to your success, you just have to make it easy for them." Well, in your last e-mail, you walked your talk and asked me to "please tell others about Succeeding in Business, and guess what?

You are exactly right... I don't know you from Adam's house cat (is this a southern saying?) but I do know that you were kind enough to take the time to respond to my e-mail and give me the advice I was seeking, and because you asked, I want to tell everyone I know about you and Succeeding in Business! Key words being that you ASKED me for the referrals, so to speak. If you hadn't asked, it may not have occurred to me, which also proves that we should never be afraid or hesitate to ask!

Bottom line, I've never met you, don't have a relationship with you except for these brief e-mail exchanges over the last few days and I want to "contribute to your success." I have good long-term relationships with my customers and friends, so I'm sure they would like to contribute to my success."

Thanks again!

-- April Huguenin, Print Works
(april@printworksforyou.com)

What I have written in this issue might be all you need do to get all the referrals you'll ever need in your business. I hope that is true.

But, if you want a little help getting your business defined so you can describe it repeatedly, and have it understood well enough to get referrals, our Marketing Fast Track program will get you on your way quickly.

Our intent in these newsletters is to give you something of value in each issue. Information that will stand on its own, and produce for you, without your having to spend another dime.

Having said that, there is only so much that can be accomplished in a newsletter; even in a series of newsletters.

If, and when, you want more, we want to give you a variety of ways to meet the need. So, we offer (or will shortly offer), the following:

No-charge podcasts and tele-seminars (coming very soon).

Electronic books -- that you can download instantly. These e-Books provide more than what the newsletters do.

Spot training sessions ($99 - $199), coming soon. A spot training session is a single class devoted to a single topic (let's say, creating a brilliant elevator speech). In this example, we would give participants a guide prior to the class, and ask them to send in their draft elevator speech efforts. During the class we would use a selection of the submissions to illustrate how to compose an elevator speech that gets others to say, "Tell me more."

Multi-week training sessions, such as the Marketing Fast Track program (sales classes, marketing classes, list-building classes, margin-boost classes, for example)

Industry-specific courses for insurance, financial services (SEO compliance figured in advance), service professionals, manufacturers reps, and so on.

Programs for entire sales forces and their management.

We are committed to your success, your career and your security.

Thanks for reading,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
August 2, 2007

07/30/07 - Why nobody calls you back: a forward-worthy edition

2007-10-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

For me, it's a struggle to avoid being offended when somebody doesn't call me back.

This has been doubly-frustrating over the last 10 years. It seems that it gets worse by the month, because of voice mail. Email is even easier to ignore. I carry a bag and sell every day. I live it every minute of the day, too.

It seems that they never call back when you leave a voice mail. Hey, they don't even call back when they know you.

The fact is, everyone is completely focused on the old "what's-in-it-for-me" (WIIFM) syndrome.

But, don't despair. The fix for this is really simple. It's quite possible; even probable. It just ain't easy. The good news is that if you solve the problem now, it will work for a very long time.

At best, most messages we leave during the pursuit of business are bland platitudes. At worst they are self-serving, perhaps boring, long-winded and pointless.

The top revenue-generators get their calls returned because what they say speaks directly, consistently and persistently, to the WIIFM in their target prospect's minds. They understand what the target market is listening for, and filtering against. Their message gets through, gets heard, and might be acted on, if the time is right.

Here are the things that people do to get their calls returned all the way through the process, from the initial call, to the signing of the order:

They have lots of targets to call on.

They understand their customers' problems and desires, at some level.

They understand the real results that a buyer will get from whatever they're offering.

They don't exaggerate their claims.

They use stories that have been crafted in advance.

They limit their discussions to one problem or aspiration, They don't get into what they do, or how they do it.

All of the above is important, but it's not enough to make returned calls and increased revenues a routine experience.

To maintain a satisfying relationship with the market, have your calls returned, and keep your revenue growing, through good times and bad, consider these issues:

Understand Marketing Ball: these are the rules to the game of getting and closing business with the most certainty and the minimum effort.

Mindset. The wrong mindset kills your potential. We'll show you the fours steps to reliably change it.

Marketing syntax. This is the process of how we get and hold people's attention. When you have someone's attention, they call you back, engage and frequently, buy.

Core marketing message. This is where we craft the message that gets your targets to say, "tell me more." It starts you around the bases in Marketing Ball.

Marketing Information: your marketing currency. There are eight magic questions that every prospect has for you. One of the reasons you don't get call-backs is that your communications, especially your written materials, don't methodically answer these eight questions.

Marketing Tactics: The "how-to" of engaging your target market.

Finally, marketing action plans: Nothing is more certain in business than the notion that if your competitor is executing a plan and you aren't (all other things being equal), you are going to get your lunch eaten. We show you how to build plans that work.

If you want a little help, our Marketing Fast Track program will get you on the way to communicating so that your calls are returned, your revenue is boosted and you can relax because you have a plan.

If you have a variable income and can make more if you sell more, this class can have a big impact on your income if you do the homework and put it into action. The class costs $495 and is unconditionally guaranteed.

If you execute at all, you should earn back at least 10 times the cost of the class within 12 months. Some folks do that within as little as 30 days. Some folks have doubled their incomes, executing just some of the things you will learn in this class. It is all up to you.

If you are in a hurry, you can register for our next class, which starts September 12th at 1 pm Pacific Daylight time, and runs 90 minutes a week for eight weeks. Each session is recorded, so if you have to miss a session, you can listen when it is more convenient.

JOIN THE SEPTEMBER 12 CLASS NOW

Click above or call Eric to register:

503-635-2319

Or email: eric@succeedinginbusiness.com

Each registration comes with a complete workbook and a private website that will be available to you for the foreseeable future.

On January 1st, the program price will go to $995, and will still be one of the best values on the web.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
July 30, 2007

07/23/07 - The two no-cost things you can do right now to start improving your revenue and profits

2007-10-01T13:15:00.002-07:00

There are two simple (not necessarily easy) things that you can do right now to boost your revenue.

These two things are talked about often, and yet get very little regular attention. I know, because I have been painfully guilty of ignoring these two things myself.

The first is to make daily additions to your list of potential targets. Each addition is most valuable when you do the following:

Get the correct name with the correct spelling.

Get the person's title, and get it right.

Get the exact company name.

Get the right phone number.

Try to get the email address.

Associate an initial record date with this target so you can later evaluate how valid the information is.

Record what your intended initial offer should be.

The second most important thing you can do is get your executive summary written and tested. Commit to re-writing it every month until it gets a high response rate from the target segment you wrote it for. The executive summary should follow this format:

Problem-Oriented Headline

Key issue or challenge facing the prospect

Solution-Oriented Sub-Head

Outcome they would prefer to have

Problem-oriented opening paragraph

More details about the key issue or challenge. Make it crystal clear that you understand what your prospects are experiencing by discussing their problems, pains and predicaments.

Purpose of Service

Ultimate outcome-oriented second paragraph. Discuss what's possible or what things will be like when your prospects' problems are solved.

You're Not Alone

Why your prospects are stuck in the problem and don't have the solution.

What You Need to Do

What are the key steps to success in this area? What do they have to do to solve the problem and get the solution?

Call to Action

A statement of who you are, what you do, how you can help, and an invitation to the prospect to take the next step.

Print this out. Fill it in. Look at it and ask yourself if it hangs together and makes sense. Show it to four current customers and ask for their feedback.

This executive summary is your business, and it is what people are buying. If you are foggy on it, you are simply not going to get the business you could otherwise get.

If you are committed to succeeding in business, a good list and a well refined executive summary are simply not optional.

A growing list is a growing set of potential customers with whom you can deliberately and systematically communicate. And that communication can lead to a sale. The executive summary is the message that you can use in any media, at any time, to communicate what you do and why somebody should care.

No targets and no message mean you're banking on random activity. On getting lucky. That means you usually don't have a prayer of succeeding in business.

If you want help on making this an effective part of your professional security and career, consider joining us for the next highly-popular Marketing Fast Track: 7 steps to more clients. The next program starts Wednesday, September 12, at 1 pm Pacific Daylight Time. It will run for 8 weeks.

The current Marketing Fast Track students are just now submitting their Executive Summaries for review. They have all come a very long way in just a few short weeks. I fully expect that each of them will enjoy significant jumps in their revenue over the next six months, assuming they continue to execute.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
July 23, 2007

07/16/07 - Damned if you do, and damned if you don't

2007-10-01T13:15:00.001-07:00

To me, it feels that I am damned if I seek balance in life, and damned if I don't.

People tell me routinely that they feel if they let down, relax, don't stress, take vacations or long weekends, that they will be at risk professionally.

Other people say that their performance really took off, once they started planning for, and taking, long vacations, long weekends, sabbaticals and, for some, working less than 40 hours a week.

Stress seems to be the central issue, according to Esther M. Sternberg, noted author, stress theorist and neuroscientist at the National Institute of Mental Health.

According to Sternberg, physical and psychological stresses, such as prolonged lack of sleep, divorce, or too much work, can make people sick by adversely affecting their immune and hormonal responses. Conversely, vacations, relaxation, a strong belief in healing rituals and prayer, might help make them well (via the placebo effect).

Finding a balance seems to be a key then, to both wealth and health. We address this in our book entitled, Making More while Working Less. This book is a collection of strategies and tactics that are time-tested to help you quickly shift your thinking and activities to get more done in less time, and make more money.

If you want the first seven chapters at no cost, and you are interested in what it takes to get improved results through working with others, you can visit www.performanceleadershipgroup.com. When you visit, simply subscribe to the newsletter and you will instantly be given the first seven chapters of this top-selling e-Book.

So what is the bottom line this summer about achieving balance while succeeding in business?

I'd like to give you some of my thoughts about it, but, before I do that, I'd like to ask you to share your observations with me.

Please shoot me an email at eric@succeedinginbusiness.com, and describe your observations about stress and how to avoid it.

Type BALANCE in the subject line.

Everyone who submits a lesson learned about balance will be entered in a drawing for a new iPod Nano. Actually, there will be two iPod Nano's awarded. One to the winner of a random drawing in which all participants will be entered; the other to the best new idea about how to achieve balance in life.

Now, back to my observations.

These are the basics I've learned over the years:

Have SMART goals (written down) that you are on fire to achieve in the following areas:

Fun
Friendships
Family
Finance
Fitness
Faith
Fortune

Have a marketing and sales system down that you know works, and that you can get progressively better at, year-in-and-year-out. Too many people keep searching, and don't get focused and methodical for results. There is no Get Rich Quick (GRQ) scheme in real life, folks.

Understand how to consistently get results through working with other people.

Have the procedures that run your life figured out and written down.

Progressively move towards doing only the things that you are best at and that only you can do.

Stop talking and take action. The person who takes action but isn't perfect, will beat out the perfectionist every time, in every way that matters, except being lonely and smug, in my experience.

I'm sure I've left out a lot of possibilities here, in trying to be brief.

So, I want to invite you again, to share your wisdom and insights about stress and balance with me. If you give me permission, and if I use your idea in an upcoming book, I will not only give you attribution in the book, but I will also send you a bound copy, along with a letter from me, thanking you.

Just send your thoughts to me in an email (eric@succeedinginbusiness.com). Please type BALANCE in the subject line.

And, in case you missed this earlier in today's issue, everyone who submits a lesson learned about balance will be entered in a drawing for a new iPod Nano. Actually, there will be two iPod Nano's awarded. One to the winner of a random drawing in which all participants will be entered; the other to the best new idea about how to achieve balance in life.

I will announce the winners in the first "Success Tips" newsletter in September.

The bottom line is, "Give yourself a break." Take a vacation, and boost your performance.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
July 16, 2007

07/12/07 - Why most people would rather be right than rich

2007-10-01T13:14:00.001-07:00

Why would most people rather be right than rich?

First, let me define my terms. I'm using the word, "right," in the sense that means that pre-conceptions (or mis-conceptions) turn out to determine outcomes (kind of like self-fulfilling prophecies). By "rich," I'm talking about the ability (power) to look at reality and do what's necessary to reach your goals, whatever they might be.

I talk, all the time, to executives, leaders and top performers, all over the world about this type of thing. (If you want some real insights into the "right vs. rich" phenomenon, and want to explore the idea of getting things done through others, check out www.performanceleadershipgroup.com. I think you'll find it to be a powerful and unique resource.

People have told me that the "right vs. rich" comparison is the single most powerful insight anyone had ever shared with them. In essence, the revelation is that most people would rather be right than anything else in life. Don't buy that? Just start observing and see what you see out there.

Today, the power of the "right vs rich" statement may not be fully apparent to you. In fact, I would be very surprised if its power was even one percent clear to you right now. When I first heard it, I basically shrugged, and said to myself, "Whatever."

Soon, however, the "right vs. rich" statement started creeping back into my mind and, what's more important, into my observations.

If you can focus the concept in your mind, and then use it in your observations, you will begin to see what I mean. Much of the pain, strife and upset in the world comes -- directly or indirectly -- from this ultra-powerful human fault.

The "right vs. rich" human fault is also known by these corollaries:

I would rather be right than powerful. (I'm using the word, "powerful," in this instance, to mean moving things forward.)

I would rather be right than happy. (I can't be happy unless I have a Mercedes)

I would rather be right than skinny. (I should be able to eat anything I want to eat and not be fat.)

I would rather be right than healthy. (I should be able to abuse my body without repercussions.)

I would rather be right than married. (All men are jerks, or women can't be trusted, or whatever version of "right" might be considered to be the truth.)

Selling and marketing are too __________________ for me, there is no way I can be successful.

For example:

Why does somebody press a lawsuit when there can be no economic sense to it?

A project manager says a deadline can't be made and almost costs his company $30 million. It turns out that getting a few simple questions answered saves the day and the money. (This happened in a global construction company.)

An executive rants and raves about how overweight sales people can't sell and fires a quota-achieving sales rep. Five later the "overweight" salesperson becomes the executives' boss. (This took place at NBC TV. And, by the way, it really did happen.)

What people will and won't buy. (Nobody would ever pay for bottled tap water.)

You can't sell at a premium when others give it away. (Barbara Abernathy sells design services that the fixture companies give away for free.)

A seasoned salesperson says that there is no substitute for cold-calling and is put out of business by a person who just sends a newsletter every month.

I don't have time for marketing. But I do have time to watch TV, play video games, and go to every movie on the planet.

Insisting that if you don't keep your word, it won't matter.

In each case, one person got stuck on an absolute "truth," and could not let go of it. She wanted to be right about the conclusion more than she wanted to be "rich."

Does this shoe fit for you?

You might hate me for what I am about to say: In many cases it is easier to cling to being "right" about your version of the truth simply because it lets you off the hook. It provides a face-saving excuse. Please don't be put off. We all do it.

Take this statement, for example: "This is the worst territory in the region. Nobody could be successful here."

When I audit that kind of situations, I almost always find the same things:

An insufficient inventory of targets on a written list.

Targets that don't look like they've purchased in the past.

No marketing message worked out (target, problem, outcome, story) that reliably gets the target to say, "Tell me more."

If I asked 20 customers, 20 friends and 20 co-workers what their offer was, I would get, at best, vague and divergent answers.

No marketing materials at hand or in the head to respond with when the prospect says, "Tell me more."

No evidence of follow-up. In most cases, we have to follow up 6-12 times to get a sale.

No good records of where they are in the relationship.

No evidence that they listen.

Salespeople writing proposals before they have agreement in principle.

And on, and on.

I know there are territories that are less productive than others. Most bad territories are bad only because they have not been worked in any rational way. If you want to find out how to make poor territories viable, and good territories great, take a look here.

People who succumb to this style of thinking are essentially waiting for someone else to bring the future to them with a ribbon on it. I call it being a victim.

Sure, it may not be a great territory. But, for whatever reason, it is yours. You have a choice of being a victim or being "response-able."

It reminds me of the hiker in the state of Utah, who got his arm stuck between a rock wall and an 800 lb. boulder. The situation stunk.

If he gave up, he was going to die. Eventually, he realized he would not be rescued, and if he delayed too long, he would die right there. It was time for action.

The hiker, Aron Ralston, had a choice: cut his arm off or die. He could be a victim or he could choose to be "response-able" and survive.

He could be "right," that the situation was bad. Not his fault; beyond his control. Or he could choose to respond to the situation. Aron chose to respond. He cut his arm off. He is living a great life, I hear.

Nobody has a perfect situation. We all have choices. We just might not like them. Hopefully, most of our choices are better than Aron's.

At the end of the day, being rich (happy, secure, powerful, etc.) is about looking at what it takes to move things forward vs. being right.

Why would most people rather be right than rich? The answer is simple: Because it feels so good and validating. (It also, I am told, releases all sorts of endorphins -- a feel-good drug our bodies produce.)

It's easy. The "path of least resistance," and all that. The big reason is that it is the way we are wired as human beings. It is a default (in my observation at least).

Right vs. rich: It's a choice. The human being loves being "right" more than almost anything else on Earth. If you don't like the price of operating with this human default, consider making a choice to move things forward, towards riches, happiness, and so on.

It's up to you: You can choose not just life, but a great life.

What are ya gonna do?

If you want to be "rich," or at least significantly better off than you are today, you might want to give yourself an inexpensive shortcut to making significantly more money this year. Check out that shortcut here.

To your powerful choices,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
July 12, 2007

07/09/07 - Case Study - Question from a reader

2007-10-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

The question:

I'd like to talk with you this week about the profile of my ideal client. Until I took your Marketing Fast Track class, I would have said, everybody with more than 5 staff can use our services, therefore everyone is a target, right?

My guess is: "Wrong."

I would like to clear this up and set up my elevator speech as clearly as possible. I am the guy who sets all the appointments for my firm; everyone is counting on me for sales appointments.

I know that I need to narrow my target market and tighten up my message but I am not clear on the best way to do this. Today I rely heavily on cold calling, seminars and networking to create leads. It is lots of work for relatively few leads and fewer sales.

The website we have is a shambles, it creates no leads. We do quite well out of referrals but considering we have a 500+ client base I am sure we could do a bit better.

What steps do I need to take to quickly get into action and get better results?

Eric's Response

First, I would figure out some basic characteristics of who has purchased from your firm in the past (industry, turnover a.k.a. annual revenue, what they bought, how long they have been a customer, etc) and chart that out.

Consider the fictional example:

80 percent of our buyers come from four types of businesses:
1. Import/export firms
2. Freight forwarders
3. Drayage operations
4. Port storage operators

They average 200 employees per firm

They are usually 20+ years old

They have at least $10 million in annual revenues

They are all on the East Coast

They are all growing slower than the rest of their industry

Describe your top three ideal clients, according to what the customer data suggests:

Example

East Coast import-export firms, averaging at least $10 million per year in revenue, who are struggling to grow as fast as the rest of their industry.

Next, build a list of everyone who looks like your ideal clients. The library is a great place to start. Get as many on the list as you can.

Next, I would take a quick inventory of the testimonials and stories you have from your ideal clients. If you don't have two to five testimonials and two or more stories for each ideal client, get more as soon as possible.

Inventory the top three problems your company addressed for each ideal customer and the top three aspirations or goals each had.

Now list the outcomes each ideal customer sought when engaging your firm, and the results they got. (They did keep buying didn't they?) For example:

Wanted to grow faster than our industry

Reduce our turnover

Increase our net margin

And so on.

Next, build an inventory of 15 - 25 benefits you offer each member of your ideal customer set.

Now create two to five statements that make the case for why your firm is able to address these needs and aspirations. These can be very simple, such as:

"We have been delivering great results to global importers for more than 20 years." Follow this with a quote.

Now make a brief statement that describes the process you follow to deliver the results.

Finally, jot down two or three next steps you want the client to take (e.g., read this, call me, set an appointment, etc).

Your elevator speech or audio logo will consist of the following:

"We help ____________________________(ideal customer targets #1), who are struggling with _____________________________(ideal customer targets #1 typical problem).

When they say, "Tell me more," you've reached first base.

Now you simply repeat the audio logo again and say, "We helped them get ______________________________ (ideal customer target #1 desired outcome)".

Perhaps a brief story will help.

Some of the benefits customers report getting are: _______________________________________________

People come to us because: ______________________________________ (List your points of credibility.)

May I suggest _________________________________________ (call to action appropriate to your base location on Marketing Ball).

The process above will give you a great start for your elevator speech and audio logo. And it will be your foundation for a web site that converts.

Next, we want to put a lead source on all 500 of your clients, so we have a clear idea of which marketing efforts have been working in the past. That way we can be careful to not stop doing the things that have worked.

After that, we take all the businesses in your funnel and put them in one of the following buckets:

Strangers

Affiliation

Attention (a.k.a. "Tell me more.")

Familiarity

Information

Experience

This is not the whole fix, but it's a powerful start to getting out of the business of cold-calling, and working too hard for too little.

If going into depth with something like this is of interest to you and would help you get more business, you can register for the Marketing Fast Track class starting TOMORROW, July 10th at 12 noon, Pacific Daylight Time. Each session is recorded so that, if you have to miss a session for vacation or an impromptu golf date, you can still get the value and stay on track.

I have only two spots still open, so register fast if you think this will help you get out of the cold-calling business. Our next class won't start until September or October. Register NOW !

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
July 09, 2007

07/05/07 - Make 2008 your best year ever with Core Issues paper

2007-10-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Our intent is for the Succeeding In Business Core Issues paper to help make your 2008 your most profitable ever. To get this important Core Issues paper at no charge, we ask you to do only two things

This September, we will ask you to reconfirm your interest in getting this newsletter, and ask you to sign up for a version that speaks directly to your interests (see the list below). Starting in 2008, we will send the newsletter only to people who have done this.

Tell five to 10 business associates about this newsletter, and suggest they sign up to receive both the Succeeding In Business Core Issues paper and the newsletter.

Coming newsletter versions

Everyone on this earth listens consistently to one radio station: WIIFM (What's In It For Me).

We, and many of the world's top business experts, believe that the following are the key elements in succeeding in business in any country in the world today:

Sales: How to sell more while working less.

Marketing: how to align with a market and get that market to buy consistently.

Leadership: how to help other people see and work towards a future they value.

Boosting your margins (a.k.a. margin boost): how to quickly earn more profit and gain greater customer satisfaction.

Productivity: how to get more of the right things done in less time and with far less stress.

Ethical Persuasion: how to help people get out of their own way to getting what they want.

Coaching: the art of getting others to places they want to be, through innovative action.

The following will be elements in each newsletter version:

Stories: short interesting, amusing and instructional tales intended to deliver pleasure, entertainment and learning.

Reviews of things we think highly of, that relate to WIIFM, for our subscribers.

In September we will simply ask you to let us know which of these is most important to you.

This also means that we are going to ask you to reconfirm your desire to get this newsletter. To thank you for doing this, I will be giving you the Succeeding In Business Core Issues document. This will be your roadmap to succeeding in business. We hope you keep this for years and refer to it often.

This is going to happen in September. You will get a sneak previews of the new layout of the newsletter in July and August.

Are you ready to stop cold-calling and start having customers call you? If so, read on.

If you are ready to stop cold-calling and make 2008 your best year ever, please sign up now for the Marketing Fast Track Program. It is a way to get what my one-on-one clients happily pay $3,000.00 - $10,000.00 a month to get -- for just $495.00 (the equivalent of $247 per month, for eight weeks of material).

We are doing this to get success stories and to refine the material. The $495 fee is to get you to take the program seriously and to provide some assurance that you will take action. No action equals no results, and no success story. The program will be $995 per person in 2008, and it will be a great value at that. Sign Up Now for Just $495. Class starts July 10th.

Remember: This program is the key to getting out of the cold-calling business for the rest of your life.

If you just love to cold-call, consider reading our cold calling e-Book.

I have two scholarship positions open for non-profits. Email me at eric@succeedinginbusiness.com and put "Scholarship for July 10th" in the subject line.

Thanks for being a subscriber. Your career, security and success are our missions in life. If you are willing to read, learn, and take action, we can help you get there.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
July 05, 2007

07/03/2007 - Core issues paper will be here in September. Don't miss it!

2007-10-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

I am working on a Succeeding In Business Core Issue paper that I am going to provide to all of my subscribers at no charge. If you follow and execute the recommendations contained in this paper, your career and your security will never be in question again.

I want to make sure that you know why I can say this, and why, among all the newsletters on the Internet, you should seriously consider the issues in this particular paper, and apply them to your life.

In my life I have helped businesses gain incremental revenue -- not in the thousands or millions -- but in the billions of dollars. Household names, like American Express, Microsoft, EMC, Dell, HP, Motorola, Symbol (now part of Motorola), Compaq Computers, Toshiba, and thousands of companies, industries and individuals you have never heard of.

Other categories of folks (and we have hundreds to tens of thousands of newsletter subscribers in these categories) that have prospered, and that might be like you:

Real Estate, both commercial and residential.

Insurance companies of all types and sizes, including the giants and the boutiques.

Financial services, financial planners, stock brokers, advisors, mortgage brokers, wealth advisors, and so on.

Coaches.

Leaders.

Business owners.

Internet marketers who are beyond the hype.

Senior executives, including thousands of CEO's, CFO's, CMO's, CSO's.

Entrepreneurs.

Sales people of all stripes.

Marketers of all stripes.

Designers.

People who just want to get ahead in life by being more focused, organized and goal-oriented.

The Succeeding In Business Core Issues paper will lay it all out.

The Succeeding In Business newsletter will expand on the points in the Core Issues paper twice a week, providing information that 99 percent of my competitors in the market charge you to get. Succeeding In Business will give it to you weekly at no charge!

When you want to go deeper, we will offer training manuals with information that can't reasonably be covered in a newsletter. The subjects are being expanded as I write.

When you want to take action, we will have experiential training courses that will power you into action and help you learn from -- and correct --your implementation errors.

One example of this is our highly successful Marketing Fast Track Program. This program is THE KEY to getting out of the cold calling business for the rest of your life.

We have a class starting Tuesday, July 10th and there are just 10 spots left in it. The program will run for eight weeks (90-minute-per-week sessions). All sessions are recorded, so you can listen to them over and over again, or go on vacation without fear of missing anything.

Our intent in these programs is to get you into action in a curriculum that is proven to increase sales in both the short term and the long term. Our next program will not start until September or October. Please sign up now, if this is of interest to you.

This fall, the newsletter is going to be re-organized into the following sections:

Leadership

Marketing

Ethical persuasion

Sales

Margin boost

Productivity

Coaching

Reviews

Stories

Your interests and needs will change. We want you to know that this is the one newsletter worth reading, no matter what. If you are interested in the categories above, you will quickly and easily be able to zero in on what you want, and then get on with your day with information you can use.

This fall we will start publishing our pod cast on iTunes and all the other sources, so that you can hear interviews with fascinating experts, and dialogue on subjects of interest to you.

This fall you will meet my business partner, David Parnell. David is a highly sought-after entrepreneur, patent holder, author, and good guy. David is one of the finest people I have ever met, and I am deeply thankful to have him on the team. You will begin to hear more and more from David in the coming months.

I will also introduce you to a margin-boost expert named Bruce Johnson, who is joining the team after years of working to drive billions and billions of incremental margin for products and services of global household names. Between the two of us, we will give you information that is simply not available anywhere else that we know of.

I will introduce you to a list-building guru and real estate entrepreneur, named Troy O'Bryan. Troy will begin to help show you the way to build target markets like the biggest players in the world do.

You will meet a dear friend, a great writer and a marketing collateral creation specialist, named Tom Dresser. Each week Tom puts a little (sometimes a great deal of) lipstick on the writing of this newsletter. I am trying to talk Tom into holding some writing workshops for our readership. How is that for pressure Tom?

Finally, in December, you will get to meet my secret weapon. This amazing woman is leaving a very successful career at one of the most successful companies in the world to join our team. I can't reveal her name today because she has things to finish where she is today. The key is that she is committed to giving our readers the best available information to achieve success.

The bottom line is that Succeeding In Business is rededicating its work to your career, your security, and, above all, to your success in life. Everything we show you will be in small, actionable steps that any committed person can take.

Please tell your friends about us. Please encourage them to subscribe to the newsletter.

In Thursday's issue of the newsletter, we are going to tell you the two simple things you will need to do to get the Succeeding In Business Core Issues paper. These two simple things will cost you nothing but a few moments of time.

Finally, if you are ready to make 2008 your best year ever, please sign up now for the Marketing Fast Track Program. It is a way to get what my one-on-one clients happily pay $3,000.00 - $10,000.00 a month to get -- for just $495.00 (the equivalent of $247 per month, for eight weeks of material).

We are doing this to get success stories and to refine the material. The $495 fee is to get you to take the program seriously and to provide some assurance that you will take action. No action equals no results, and no success story. The program will be $995 per person in 2008, and it will be a great value at that. Sign Up Now for Just $495. Class starts July 10th.

Remember: This program is THE KEY to getting out of the cold-calling business for the rest of your life.

Thanks for being a subscriber. Your career, security and success are our mission in life. If you are willing to read, learn, and take action, we can help you get there.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
July 03, 2007

06/28/07 - Seven secrets for a much larger pay check

2007-10-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Secret 1

Create a list of everybody who looks like one of your top 10 customers. I have never met an individual or business (outside of the gaming industry) that had more than 30 percent of their targets in their database. This is the first place to look if you are not getting the success you desire.

Secret 2

There are two fundamental information factors that move people to act. 99 percent of all sellers have never heard of this before.

First, peripheral cues. These are things like the color of the paint, the texture of the finish, the music being played, the lighting, and so on. People who are not experts often act on peripheral cues (e.g. if the food is bad, the decor had better be good).

Second, central cues. These are the specific details that only an informed or expert buyer can discern. Peripheral cues may be noticed by a buyer, but will not be a significant factor in the decision (e.g. if the food is great, the decor usually doesn't matter).

Issue: Determine which camp buyers are in, and then give them what they want, and none of the other. Miss this one and you will die. This is one the top money-earners never miss, and 99 percent of sellers miss almost all the time, in my observation.

Secret 3

There are at least eight general types of salespeople (characterized by the following statements). Guess which one sells the most -- by a factor of ten -- over the worst?

I want to be your friend.

I want to move you through my process at my pace and move on.

I want you to nurture me; I am a wounded rabbit in need of love.

I am committed to understanding you by asking you questions and will respond according to your real needs.

Boy Scout (I always do the right thing).

I'll leave you folks alone. Let me know if you want to buy anything.

I am the smartest guy in the room and smart people want to do business with me.

I am tough, smart and just left the Marines. Buy from me if you know what is good for you.

How they stack up:

I'll leave you folks alone. Let me know if you want to buy anything.

This type gets one sale (out of a possible 10). This is how 40 percent of all sales people approach the job.

Boy Scout (I always do the right thing).

Score of four sales out of ten. This is how 40 percent of all sales people approach the job

I want to be your friend.

This guy will get 6.5 sales (of a possible 10). This is how 15 percent of all sales people approach the job.

I am committed to understanding you by asking you questions and will respond according to your real needs.

Score: 10 sales out of 10. This is how 5% of all salespeople approach the job.

All the others are fewer than one sale out of 10.

Essentially, all other approaches are not viable from a profit & loss statement perspective.

Secret 4: Selling to women vs. men

Women, regardless of central or peripheral cue orientation, in my observation, are most moved by consistency. They can manage or tolerate variations in product or service but not in how credible the seller's behavior is.

Men, regardless of central or peripheral cue orientation, in my observation, are most moved by reciprocity and liking.

Regardless of gender, all fundamentals of persuasion work. The ones above just work a little better. For your reference, here are the other persuasion laws:

Liking (ingratiation, praise, friendly, favors)

Conformity

Contrast

Consistency

Reciprocity

Scarcity

Secret 5: Alignment

At the core of all top sales professionals, marriages, marketing programs, and so on, is alignment. If you do nothing else in sales, this alone will assure that you stand out from your competition, get the best margins, and have the shortest sales cycles possible. Far and away the number one alignment tool is becoming masterful at asking questions and having the self-discipline to listen and take notes.

Secret 6: Get real and don't ask for marriage on the first date.

Face it. Down deep in your heart, the response you really want is: "Wow, that is just what I have been waiting for. Bring your wheel barrow. I have a pile of money I am dying to give you today."

There simply are a series of steps you have to go through in most cases:

Understand the game you are playing.

Get your mindset about clients, your offering, and the process of sales and marketing squared away.

Tightly define your target markets -- who you want.

Get them into a list.

Get your initial message, or elevator speech, worked out.
a. The pain you address.
b. The outcome you provide.
c. The stories that provide a sense of proof and reality.

Get the ice broken with the target through some kind of affiliation.

Get them to say, "Tell me more."

Begin to tell them more by helping them understand the outcomes you provide, the benefits and the next steps.

Ask them questions so that you achieve alignment and they have no doubt that you understand them and have their best interests at heart.

Provide them with tight, concise, relevant information based upon the answers you got to your questions (this information should comply with marketing syntax if it is to be effective).

Get clear on their pains and desired outcomes.

Ask them to move forward.

Get the agreement in writing.

Go to the bank with a smile.

If you want to give yourself a raise for the rest of your life you can join our upcoming class that will cover these 14 factors in ways that will surprise you. Next class starts July 10. All classes will be recorded for listening at your convenience so you don't need to worry about missing anything if you go on vacation. Classes are just 90 minutes each week. The current class is getting RAVE reviews, based on the emails I am getting.

Secret 7: Conviction

Gain the conviction that, if you can't walk away from a modest-to- poorly-qualified prospect, you are not selling, you are engaged in a form of begging.

Know your ideal customer

Have your walk criteria clearly defined

Act as though you won the lottery and don't need the money

Act as though the only thing that matters is alignment between what you want to do and what the client needs.

If you execute well on the above, you will be making more, while working less: the essence of succeeding in business.

All the best,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
June 28, 2007

06/25/07 - Saying goodbye to procrastination

2007-10-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Human beings love the familiar.

We got that way, some say, through evolutionary psychology. The familiar was safe, and the unfamiliar was risky. If the caveman hung around his cave, he lived a long time. If he didn't, he got eaten and didn't reproduce.

The cavemen who hung around the cave or the familiar, eventually came to dominate the gene pool, and today, we are all wired to really, really like the familiar.

Case in point: After weeks of traveling in Asia about 12 years ago, I was astonished by my reaction when I stumbled on a McDonald's in downtown Seoul South Korea. I went in and ordered a Quarter Pounder, and a Big Mac, with Fries.

To my astonishment, they tasted exactly like they did at home. It was very familiar to my brain.

A week later, in a city of over 10 million in China called Guangzhou, my hosts took me to a McDonald's for lunch because it was the only place nearby that wouldn't make a Westerner sick. Again the food tasted exactly like home. I practically shed a tear, despite the fact that I really don't like McDonald's all that much.

All my travels were exhausting because of the profound lack of the familiar. I realized the power of McDonald's was its near-perfect ability to deliver the familiar, anywhere in the world.

Beating procrastination requires that you put the familiar to use. Here's how:

Key #1: Forget the big changes whenever possible.

Keep them at regular intervals, but small.

Key #2: Build and execute simple plans.

For example, when planning your day, just set out one or two simple things you want to do. Map out two to three steps in writing to get the task done. Take it in simple chunks. Now, just commit to working 10-15 minutes without interruption, and then stop and take a break by looking out the window or getting something to drink. Repeat daily for three to four weeks. You now have a million-dollar habit that crept into familiarity in your brain. Now you own it.

By the way, if you want to become familiar with a massive bank account (MBA), you might consider jumping on the next Marketing Fast Track Course, starting July 10th, Most people will get payback out of just one of the eight sessions.

The previous Marketing Fast Track Program sold out in one week. If you are interested, I encourage you to sign-up, now. I am limiting this class to 50 participants. The next class won't start until sometime in September.

Key #3: If you try too much, too fast, your brain will identify it as unfamiliar, and will fight like the devil incarnate. Don't be too ambitious with this if you are committed to success.

Key #4: Let your brain begin to realize that a simple plan equals easy success. A complex plan equals failure, much of the time, unless you have developed familiarity with complex plans, of course.

Key #5: Perfection.

Another human fault that enables procrastination is the desire for perfection.

Sending a person into space might require perfection, but little else does.

Give up the perfection. Gary Halbert was probably one of the top three copywriters of all time. One of his sayings was, "If it is worth doing well, it is worth doing poorly, at first."

If you can just give yourself a timeline and release yourself from the responsibility of seeking perfection, you can get started, get done, and get on with life.

By the way, we know that those who go for excellence (not getting too worried about making mistakes) get far more done, and they get it done much faster than those who shoot for absolute perfection. Really.

Even though going for perfection rarely works, it is an effort that we are familiar with.

Key #6: Do the stuff you hate -- first.

When you put off the stuff you hate, it often ruins doing the stuff you love. Dread of the hated task can ruin days, weeks, years, and, for some, life itself.

I hate to work out. But my work has me sitting on my butt all day, on the phone. Without a workout every day, I would have a very large butt for all that sitting and I would probably die of a massive heart attack way too early in life. I get my workout done at 5 am every day. No dread for the rest of the day. Yahoo!

Key #7: Mental conversations.

Action follows your feelings.

Feeling follows thoughts.

Thoughts are shaped by your mindset.

Your mental conversations become familiar, and form your mindset.

Procrastination is a lack of action. The formula above, maps out the fact that our actions, or lack of action, starts with a mental conversation about what is happening to us at any given moment. If we become aware of these conversations, we can usually guess where they are leading and make a choice that will lead to the actions we are committed to.

Procrastination is a choice that is made by the mental conversations we allow ourselves to have.

Key #8: Make your workspace more productive.

Keep your workplace simple.

Keep the things you need on a daily basis near at hand.

Everything else should go.

Take an hour each week to bring your space back up to standard. Your brain will love you for it.

Don't let working in a disaster area become familiar.

Simple, clean and neat, is the secret weapon against procrastination.

Key #9: Visualization.

Finally, spend a moment or two visualizing the finished result of any task. Get it to the point that where there is some positive feeling associated with the visualization.

In some cases, you just have to visualize how happy you will be when a nasty task is behind you.

Key #10: Choices.

Procrastination, in the end, is a simple choice, or series of choices.

Get clear on your commitments, use the information above to the best of your ability, and make some choices.

There's only one choice I hope you don't make often: Don't put off anything you have to do. Do it now, if it takes two minutes or less. If it will take longer than two minutes, put in on the calendar, and map out with that three-step, simple plan we discussed earlier. You know, the one you are familiar with, from above.

Finally

There is one book for which we have never had a request for a refund that I can recall: Making More While Working Less. You could call it a master's class on living without procrastination.

Order it now. Keep it 30 days. If it doesn't blow you away, drop me an email and I will instantly give you your money back.

To a life without procrastination,

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
June 25, 2007

06/21/07 - Basic desires and the marketing syntax

2007-10-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

People who struggle to connect and win others to their point of view usually have a tough life.

Connecting with other people and winning them to your viewpoint is one of the principle challenges in life, and a key to success, no matter what you do. Connecting and getting movement is the very lifeblood of business. You either do it successfully, to some degree, get lucky, or eventually go out of business.

Let me know how it works out for you, if you are counting on luck.

In my observation, luck is what most people rely on. As you might expect, luck produces less than ideal results and can't be counted on in a pinch to deliver the goods. It certainly can't be relied on for anything, consistently.

It's a funny thing: The most common strategy often produces the worst results in marketing, sales and leadership. Most people do nothing, just rely on word-of-mouth and never define what they really mean to their markets, so that the message can be successfully repeated to others for referrals.

If you are committed to your dream, you may want to read on, to find out how you can rely less and less on luck when it comes to connecting with people and winning them to your point of view, or to take the action you desire.

In our Marketing Fast Track Program we cover the marketing syntax of effective messages. This process works practically every time, if you are willing to work through a little trial and error.

Once you have it working for a problem that a particular market commonly has, it will often work unchanged for years and even decades.

For example, a mini-version of marketing syntax: "Hot, fresh, and at your door in 30 minutes, or it's free." Domino's Pizza (At least that's how I remember it.)

Target: Who are your ideal clients?

Problem: What is your prospect's issue or challenge?

Outcome: What result or outcome would they prefer?

Story (proof): Stories or case studies about moving from problem to outcome.

Benefits: What's everything clients get when they work with you?

Credibility: What qualifies you to do what you do?

Process: What do you actually offer, and how does it work?

Call-to-action: What do you want them to do next?

OK, so that is a great structure to work from. The next question is: "How can I know what problems people have that will move them?"

The issue here is often one of, "How can I get through the trial-and-error period before I go broke?

I might have a good answer for you today.

Did you know that all other writing on basic human drivers, up until the year 2002, was not based on any kind of valid scientific research?

I was shocked. I was also delighted. This information is a hidden jewel. If you recognize it, and are willing to work with it in the context of the marketing syntax above, you will have a true key to success in business and life.

An excerpt from Steven Reiss's groundbreaking book, Who Am I?:

Although most people are not used to thinking about human behavior in terms of fundamental desires, knowledge of our 16 basic desires can help you gain insight into who you are and why you do what you do. The desires give you a new way of analyzing your behavior; when you learn the 16 basic desires, you can figure out how your behavior and life goals are connected to them. Because your desires indicate the path of psychological growth that you need to take to become who you want to be, they can help you think about what you need in order to gain value-based happiness.

The 16 basic desires also provide a powerful tool for analyzing the behavior of people you know. If we want to know what people will do, we should find out what they desire and predict that they will try to satisfy their desires.**

Desires may not tell us everything we want to know about ourselves or others, but what it tells us is very important for understanding behavior and happiness.

Here are the 16 basic desires. The order of presentation is without significance.

Power is the desire to influence others.

Independence is the desire for self-reliance.

Curiosity is the desire for knowledge.

Acceptance is the desire for inclusion.

Order is the desire for organization.

Saving is the desire to collect things.

Honor is the desire to be loyal to one's parents and heritage.

Idealism is the desire for social justice.

Social Contact is the desire for companionship.

Family is the desire to raise one's own children.

Status is the desire for social standing.

Vengeance is the desire to get even. (A.K.A. competition)***

Romance is the desire for sex and beauty.

Eating is the desire to consume food.

Physical Activity is the desire for exercise of muscles.

Tranquility is the desire for emotional calm.

*Taken in whole from Steven Reiss's book, Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities. Berkley Press 2002.

**Emphasis is mine *** my note

When you want to connect with another person in business or personal life, consider trying to observe which one of the 16 basic drivers, above, are apparent in their lives and behaviors.

Next ask how does what I am offering connect with what I am observing about that individual, group or target market.

The Domino's tag line above is an excellent example of the power of the urge to eat being used to make a connection.

Take the urge to eat and add status and you have an advertisement for a restaurant such as Morton's, or Ruth's Chris, where steaks can be priced north of $40 for the meat alone, and the total tab can be north of $100 per person.

Steven Reiss suggests that many religions meet as many as 12 of the basic drivers for their congregations..

eHarmony.com relies on #13 (romance), #4 (acceptance), #9 social contact, and indirectly, #10 (family). eHarmony.com is a booming success. No surprise, given their link to four of the 16 basic drivers.

It may take a little creativity and head-scratching, but you can connect one or more of these 16 basic drivers to any product or service.

I cover this in my Marketing Fast Track Course starting July 10th, if you want help making the connection and making it fast. If you have time, the information I have provided here will work well for you, I suspect. (The previous Marketing Fast Track Program sold out in one week. If you are interested, I encourage you to sign-up, now. I am limiting this class to 50 participants. The next class won't start until September).

What action might you consider taking? I would recommend that you use both marketing syntax and the 16 basic drivers to create messages that will connect with your markets, move people to share your point of view, and to take the action you desire.

I sat down with my wife and charted out how we each related to the 16 basic drivers. Having been married more than 20 years, it was no surprise that we were closely aligned on 80 percent, and less aligned on the remaining 20 percent. Consider buying Steven's book. You will enjoy it. Here is a non-affiliate link to the book on Amazon.com: Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities

That's it for now. I hope you enjoy these tools that are meant to help you connect to your world.

Cheers,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
June 21, 2007

06/18/07 - The secret reason why time management is so hard

2007-10-01T12:47:00.001-07:00

Maybe you have bought all the books on time management and organization. You may have even purchased and read some of the books we offer here at Succeeding In Business. Despite that, and numerous New Year's resolutions, you still feel that you are leaving lots of potential on the table. (That, and maybe your desk is a huge mess.)

Why is that?

The answer is not another book, not another class, and not anything you are likely to read in this, or any other, newsletter.

In my observation, the answer is...

Sorry. I have to tell you a story first.

There is this concept that I call, "at risk and at stake." (When I am at risk, I have a mindset that is driven by the fear of loss [status, money, security, friendship, etc.]. When I am "at stake," I am far more focused on what's good and what's possible.) When I'm at risk, nothing seems to help. When I'm at stake, nothing seems to hurt.

When I was eight years old, I lived in a logging town on the Oregon coast called Myrtle Point. There were about 2,000 people there in 1965, and I think there might be about 2,500 there today.

At eight, my parents let me have a paper route, delivering The Oregonian newspaper. I got up every morning at 5, and walked my route. I delivered 120 newspapers every day. Often, the stack of papers weighed more than I did.

Being on the Oregon Coast, it rained. It rained as much as 70 inches a year, if I recall correctly. Each morning I got my fanny out of a nice warm bed and delivered papers in the rain, before I went off to school. I loved every minute of it.

Why?

Two reasons: My mom did not believe in candy, and my folks could afford only a few small toys at Christmas and on birthdays.

I was an "at stake" eight-year old little boy. Each day I stopped by the diner on my way home and bought a candy bar (5-10 cents in 1965), and secretly ate it as I rode my bike home from the paper route. At the end of each month I got $20 dollars for my months work, and I could buy Match Box cars and other toys that otherwise were completely out of reach, financially. I gave some to my brother and friends, and kept some for myself.

Match Box cars and illicit candy bars were the light in my eyes that, at eight years of age, got me out of a warm bed and got me moving seven days a week. I was at stake.

All the books, workshops and other tools in the world will not help you be more efficient and effective if you don't have a dream, a goal, or a purpose for what you do that excites and invigorates you.

In my observation, having no dream is the single, biggest problem most people have. With no dream, they are at the mercy of the next line of nonsense, the next ad on TV, the next wind that blows.

As we say in the coaching business, "You can't coach into no demand."

If you can find something that floats your boat, excites you, gets air under your wings, or whatever description that seems to work for you, have something to work with.

Then you can get somewhere. You may not need any books or workshops. A powerful dream often magically organizes your thoughts and actions. Without the dream, you couldn't get anything done. With the dream, it seems that there is nothing you can't get done.

My recommendation for today is simple:

Take a day off and find a quiet place alone, where you can set your mind free to dream. You might have to do this more than once. Figure out three things that really light you up. Get help to do this if you stall out. This is your life, and NOTHING is more important.

This may take a while. Most people may need to work at this a bit before the ideas start to flow. Most people have quit dreaming and have started dying long before the funeral.

Write the dream down, find pictures that represent it, and put them up where you can see them, both at home and at work.

Map out three action steps you can take towards realizing that dream, every week. These are the three most important things to do next. Write them down. Always have three of them in front of you.

Now, make everything else in your life fit into that dream.

If you are at all like me, I project you will suddenly see everything you need to do with new eyes; new clarity. You will be able to act in ways that will bring you to your goals, and all those things you "have to do."

Now you are ready to make use of those books, workshops and so on.

If you have a dream and you want some extra help, I am going to suggest what I think are, by far, the two best sources of thinking on the subject. They are:

The world-famous Mark Joyner

The equally-famous David Allen

I suggest you need to look no further. I have no business or personal relationship with either of these folks. This is simply the best stuff I have ever seen, used, and recommended.

The stuff we have on Succedinginbusiness.com is outstanding, too. (Actually, world-class, I am told.) It offers great supplements to the sources I mentioned above. If you use this stuff, it works!

That material is:

Making More While Working Less

Beating The Clock

Taking Control of Your Day

Setting and Achieving Your Goals

Some of you, who know me personally, have figured out that I am determined to help people get out of their own way so they can achieve their dreams and goals. I am doing this not just so people have financial freedom.

I am convinced that people who can achieve their dreams, make a great income, and be happy, are people who have something to give back to those around them.

When you feel that your security is "at risk," you don't have much to give others, and you're often not all that much fun to be around, either.

When you are "at stake," you have much to give. You have optimism, energy, confidence, joy, and a sense of well-being, because you know that all it takes to be successful is to be on your way to a dream worth having.

Get the dream down on paper, and you're already more successful than 90 percent of the rest of the world. Take action regularly, and you are in the top 10 percent. At least in my book.

Add love to the mix, and the world will be at your doorstep.

Oh, by the way, the answer to the question at the beginning of this article is, simply: to have a dream of how you can make the biggest possible contribution to those you love in this world. Find that, and everything else will fall into place... including time management.

Time management is automatic and relatively easy when powered by a dream. Without a powerful dream, time management is dreary and almost impossible... at least for me.

To your dreams,

Eric Albertson
Portland OR
June 18, 2007